Sharing Stories

Sharing stories of experiences loving, caring for, or losing someone close to us can be powerful and healing. In this section, we share stories of hope and advocacy from families and caregivers.

Stories of Hope

New Life Brings Hope to a Family Struggling with Mental Illness and Addiction
My Recovery Discovery
In Recovery, Setbacks Are Temporary
Former meth user offers stories of hope and support for those still in drug's grip
'You can survive': Brandon mom starts support group for families of drug addicts
Addiction recovery stories inspire healing and hope
Why I Abandoned Tough Love Instead of My Child
DJ Fat Tony and his mother look back: ‘Even during my crack addiction, we never lost touch’

Stories of Making Change

Vancouver moms hang purple sashes to remember children lost to overdose
Victoria mom running daily marathons around B.C. Ministry of Health offices calling for change to toxic drug response
Inspired by addiction and tragedy, these 2 moms are trying to save lives
No word to describe the loss of a child
Meet The Moms Pushing For A New Approach To Canada’s Opioid Crisis
Coquitlam parents hope the overdose death of their 16-year-old daughter can save the lives of others
B.C. father shares story of addiction, son's overdose death in hope of saving lives
‘How could this happen?’: After losing loved ones to opioids, grieving relatives take action
Advocacy groups and service providers welcome new Substance Use Disorder Education Toolkit
Family of Victoria teen who died of overdose encourages parents to talk to their kids about drugs
How to Talk to Kids About Drugs in the Age of Fentanyl
Canada's opioid crisis: How families of overdose victims are coping

Sharing Your Story

Actively engaging in advocacy and other work to change how our society views and addresses substance use isn't just empowering, it can be transformative.

BC Centre on Substance Use has a Family Members & Caregiver Representatives committee that provides input and advice on the work to train health care providers and inform policy and practice change. To learn how you can get involved, contact Ashley Cole at [email protected].

BC Centre on Substance Use

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E: [email protected] | T: (778) 945-7616 | F: (604) 428-5183

24/7 Addiction Clinician Support Line: (778) 945-7619

Online Addiction Medicine Diploma: [email protected].


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