Substance Use
Substance Use Blog Series: Mutual Aid Groups Part 1
Today’s substance use blog post is part 1 of mutual aid groups for substance use recovery, which are also called peer support groups. These groups are usually entirely led by peers or have a strong peer-based element. Attending peer support groups has been found to result in higher rates of recovery than those who do
Substance Use Blog Series: Concurrent Disorders
Today’s Substance Use Blog Series post is about disorders/experiences that can occur at the same time as problematic substance use. This is what concurrent means, which is literally defined as “occurring at the same time” (Mirriam-Webster). Disorders/experiences can co-occur in a variety of ways. They can be active at the same time or different times,
Substance Use Blog Series: Relapse Prevention
Today’s substance use blog post is about relapse prevention. There is no consensus for a definition of “relapse,” but it occurs after you have made a choice to limit a behaviour, in this case substance use. It involves a setback that disrupts the goals you had set previously [1]. Relapse prevention planning involves coming up
Substance Use Blog Series: Bio-Psycho-Social-Spiritual Model of Substance Use and Recovery
Today’s Substance Use blog post is about the bio-psycho-social-spiritual model of substance use. This might sound complicated, but bear with us. All this model really stands for is seeing your substance use challenge as the multifaceted thing it is. This model recognizes that there are many influences behind problematic substance use, and likewise, there are
Substance Use Blog Series: The Opioid Crisis and COVID-19
Today’s post is about the opioid crisis and COVID-19. We have written a number of posts about the opioid crisis already. Here you can find an article providing a general overview, here you can read about agonist therapy, treatment programs, and preventing overdose deaths here and here. Because of these existing posts we are going
Substance Use Blog Series: Alcohol and COVID-19
Today’s post is about increase in alcohol consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic. This post will share data that is available so far, factors that have been contributing to increased urges to drink, and some tips for how to manage these increased urges. We are all coping with unprecedented stress in one way or another, but
Substance Use Blog Series: Communication with Loved ones Experiencing Substance Use Challenges
Today’s Substance Use Blog post is about communicating with loved ones who are struggling with their substance use. So many factors can come into play when communicating with a loved one about this, such as their point of recovery, your existing relationship, and both of your communication styles and temperaments, to name a few. Depending
Substance Use Blog Series: Self-Care for Loved Ones
Today’s post is about self-care for loved ones of individuals who struggle with substance use challenges. This can refer to caregivers, partners, family members, or anybody who is close to the person struggling. There’s a lot of information available about self-care and it is an important topic for everybody, but the topic warrants unique consideration
Substance Use Blog Series: Strengthening Identity Separate from Substance Use
When discussing managing substance use challenges, a huge focus is put on regulating symptoms, cravings and behaviours in ways that line up with recovery goals. This is all a vital part of recovery, and when cravings and/or triggers feel overwhelming it can be difficult to focus on much else. Self-regulation skills are incredibly important especially
Substance Use Blog Series: Grounding Strategies for Coping with Cravings
Welcome back to the Deltassist Substance Use Services (SUS) blog series. Until the end of March we will be exploring a variety of topics that will build off information and tools offered in posts written in 2020. The aim is for all posts to include a balance of information and actionable strategies for coping with
