Canada’s Remote Safe Consumption Line
Available 24 Hours
NORS is an overdose prevention hotline for Canadians providing loving, confidential, nonjudgmental support for you, whenever and wherever you use drugs.
Canada: 1-888-688-NORS (6677)
USA (Never Use Alone): 1-800-484-3731
For more information see NORS; what you need to know
24/7 Remote Overdose Monitoring anywhere in the World
Get connected with an operator to stay by your side and help during an overdose.
Download the Brave App
Click any bullet link below to jump straight to the section:
- Covid-19 Information and Resources
- Books
- Online Resources
- Websites (Educational, Mental Health, Policy, Podcasts)
- Overcoming Stigma
- Bereavement Resources
- Guidelines/Reports/Research
- AUD Pocket Guide for Physicians
Covid-19 Information and Resources
In an effort to support our community during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have gathered information and resources relative to coronavirus and substance use disorder (SUD) including online assistance and support. Click here to visit our dedicated Covid-19 webpage
Books
- “Beyond Addiction: How Science and Kindness Help People Change” by Jeffrey Foote, Carrie Wilkens, and Nicole Kosanke, with Stephanie Higgs
- “Inside Rehab: The Surprising Truth About Addiction Treatment – and How to Get Help That Works” by Anne M. Fletcher
- “The Anatomy of Addiction” by Akikur Mohammad, MD
- “The Journey of the Heroic Parent” by Brad M. Reedy
- “In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts; Close Encounters with Addiction” by Gabor Mate, MD
- “Wasted” by Michael Pond and Maureen Palmer
- “Clean: Overcoming Addiction and Ending America’s Greatest Tragedy” by David Sheff
- “Living in the Wake of Addiction – Lessons for Courageous Caregiving” by Gloria Englund
- “Not by Chance” By Tim Thayne
- “Unbroken Brain: A Revolutionary New Way of Understanding Addiction” by Maia Szalavitz
- “Drugs Without the Hot Air: Minimizing the Harms of Legal and Illegal Drugs” by David Nutt
- “The Language of Letting Go” by Melody Beattie
- “Calming the Emotional Storm” by Sheri Van Dijk (it’s about using dialectical behaviour therapy skills to manage your emotions & balance your life)
- “Loving Someone with Borderline Personality Disorder” by Shari Y. Manning (equally good for loving someone with substance use disorder; it’s about how to keep out-of-control emotions from destroying your relationship)
Online Resources
Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT)
Support Booklets
- “A Family Guide to Concurrent Disorders” by Caroline P. O’Grady and W. J. Wayne Skinner, CAMH
- “Coping Kit” by From Grief to Action in BC
- “Putting your Oxygen Mask on First” by Cathy Taughinbaugh in California, USA
- “How to Help Your Child Become Drug Free” by David Gust, Sheila Walker, and Jon Daily, of Recovery Happens Counselling Services in California , USA, free if you subscribe to their Newsletter
Support Groups
- Al Anon
- The Addict’s Mom
- TAM Canada
- Changing the Face of Addiction
- Parents of Children Struggling with Drugs and Alcohol
- Heroin Stop the Silence Start the Conversation
- Mothers Against Opiate Overdose
- John’s Mom Hates Heroin and Overdose Deaths
Websites
- Treatment Talk (Trained Parent Coach in CRAFT) CathyTaughinbaugh.com
- SMART Recovery for Friends & Family
Websites (Educational, Mental Health, Policy, Podcasts)
Educational Websites
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)
- Canadian Center on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA)
- Canadian Society of Addiction Medicine (CSAM)
- National Institute on Substance Abuse (NIDA)
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
- American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM)
- Recovery Research Institute
- Partnership for Drug Free Kids
- Drug Free Kids Canada
- A New Path (Parents for Addiction Treatment and Healing)
Mental Health Websites
- Mood Disorders Association of Ontario (MDAO)
- Mood Disorders Society of Canada
- Sash Bear (Borderline Personality Disorder)
- Organization for Bipolar Affective Disorder (OBAD)
- (Schizophrenia Association of Ontario) – Institute for Advancements in Mental Health
- Schizophrenia Association of Canada
- Gerstein Crisis Centre
- Stella’s Place (Young Adult Mental Health Support)
- Ottawa Network for Borderline Personality Disorder
Theravive
Theravive is a network of licensed therapists and psychologists in Canada and the United States.
AccessMHA
AccessMHA provides a single point of entry to eastern Ontario’s system of care for mental health and addictions. It’s designed to help clients, families, and health care providers connect with appropriate services in a timely manner and support them through the process. Services include individual and group counselling, psychotherapy, psychiatric consults, substance treatment programs, peer support, and more.
Wellness & Emotional Support Online (WES)
Wellness and Emotional Support for Youth On-Line is a self referral service which provides free professional one on one on-going counselling sessions for youth suffering with mental health and addictions issues. through both email or live chat.
Policy Websites
- Canadian Drug Policy Coalition
- Transform: Getting Drugs Under Control
- Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP)
- Centre on Drug Policy Evaluation
- MumsDu (Moms United and Mandated to Saving Drug Users)
- Moms Stop the Harm
- Moms United to End the War on Drugs
- Shatterproof
Podcasts
Brad Reedy, PhD., one of the co-owners of Evoke Therapy Programs, has over 100 free podcasts on various topics of interest to parents of youth struggling with addiction. The podcasts can be accessed by downloading the Evoke Therapy Programs App on iTunes. These are particularly helpful:
- Living with Anxiety (#7)
- Boundaries (#17)
- Addictive Thinking – Book Review (#27)
- Control vs Influence (#54)
- Boundaries and Self-Care (#68)
- Guilt Blame and Accountability (#57)
- How to Talk to your Kids About Drugs (#69)
CMC: Center for motivation & change
The Beyond Addiction Show with Dr. Josh King. Join Dr. Josh King on this weekly live show as he talks with experts in the field of addiction and co-occurring disorders and people who are working to change the conversation about substance abuse. Available on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Patrick Doyle, LICSW – Family Addiction Coach Podcast
Overcoming Stigma
- The Pain of Stigma: Recognizing Stigma and its Impacts
- Insights on Substance Use: Understanding the Science on Substance Use Disorder
- Stigma Ends with Me: Changing the Conversation about Substance Use
- Tips for talking about Substance Use
Starlings Community
Through knowledge mobilization, advocacy, and peer support, Starlings Community aims to decrease internalized shame and increase hope in individuals impacted by the stress and stigma of a parent’s substance use.
Download a FREE guide to support the wellbeing of youth and adults impacted by a parent’s drug or alcohol use.
Bereavement Resources
MSTH Healing Hearts – Peer Support Group After a Loss from Substance Use Related Causes
Healing Hearts are peer lead groups that meet on a regular basis (most once per month), where we can share our pain with others who have the same experience without stigma and without blame. You do not have to be a member of MSTH to attend a Healing Hearts peer support group and you do not have to be active in advocacy to join. Learn More
Grief Recovery After Substance Passing (GRASP)
GRASP offers meeting locations and resources within Canada and the United States. Our bereavement support groups, for those who have lost someone to substance use, are currently available in several provinces. To locate your nearest GRASP chapter in Canada, please visit Canada Chapters.
BCCSU Gone to Soon
Navigating grief and loss as a result of substance use. Learn More
Guidelines/Reports/Research
Access to Medical Care and Medications during Covid-19
- BC Guidelines were issued by the BC Centre on Substance Use.
- Ontario Guidelines were issued by CAMH, META:PHI and the OMA.
- Guidelines for the United States were issued by The American Society for Addiction Medicine
- The guidelines, Risk Mitigation in the Context of Dual Public Health Emergencies, are not intended for treatment of SUDs but to provide clinical guidance for health care providers to prescribe pharmaceutical alternatives to illegal opioids, stimulants and benzodiazepines during the pandemic.
- Guideline for Partnering with People with Lived and Living Experience of Substance Use and Their Families and Friends (CCSA). This document provides guidance for working with people with lived and living experience of substance use and their families and friends and is intended for individuals and organizations who partner with or wish to partner with people from LLEAFF groups. Review this document to gain a deeper understanding of the value of partnering with LLEAFF groups and to learn more about the elements needed to develop sustainable and successful relationships.
Addiction
- Facing Addiction in America, The Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs and Health (2016)
- Need for more trained medical professionals in addiction medicine (BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/Aids 2016)
Substance Use Costs and Harms
Recovery
Alcohol
- Alcohol Harm in Canada (CIHI 2017)
- BCCSU Guideline for the Clinical Management of High-Risk Drinking and Alcohol Use Disorders (2019)
Opioids
BCCSU Clinical Treatment Guidelines for Opioid Use Disorder
Cannabis
- Effects of Cannabis Use during Adolescence (CCSA 2015)
- Canadian Youth Perceptions on Cannabis Report (CCSA 2017)
- Blunt Talk: Harms associated with early and frequent marijuana use among BC youth (McCreary Centre Society 2016)