Many Canadians are personally impacted by addiction yet they are reluctant to talk with others unless they are going through the same thing. Even if your loved one doesn’t want help, helping yourself can help your loved one. Just like on an airplane, you need to put on your own oxygen mask first. There are many support services for families:
We offer three free and confidential peer support services across Canada:
The Ontario Caregiver Organization offers a 24/7 helpline for caregivers.
Al-Anon teaches family members the 3 Cs: “you didn’t cause it, you can’t control it and you can’t cure it.” Al-Anon has the advantage of being worldwide. Al-Anon meetings are similar to Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings and are based on the 12 Steps of AA, except that Al-Anon meetings are for family members of the person addicted to alcohol, although now many in attendance have family members who are addicted to drugs other than alcohol. Meetings are led by persons with lived experience, not by professional therapists. Attendance is free, with the option of making a donation. In some Al-Anon meetings there is no “cross talk”, meaning that comments are made but are not addressed to any particular person in the group. You can find general information about Al-Anon and find a meeting in your area by visiting their website.
Nar-Anon is also worldwide and is for family members of persons affected by an addiction to any drug including alcohol. Nar-Anon meetings are based on the 12 Steps of AA. You can find general information about Nar-Anon Family Groups and find a meeting in your area by visiting their website.
SMART Recovery stands for Self-Management and Recovery Training. Are you looking for resources to help you support someone struggling with addiction? Is someone else’s addiction negatively affecting you? SMART provides effective, easy-to-learn tools to help both you and your loved one. Their methods are based on the tools of SMART Recovery and CRAFT Therapy (Community Reinforcement & Family Training). their meetings – available both in-person and online – provide concerned significant others the tools they need to effectively support their loved one, without supporting the addictive behaviour. These tools also help Family & Friends better cope with their loved one’s situation and regain their peace of mind.
SMART is an international organization that has been around for 26 years and started in the USA and is now in many countries across the world. To learn more about SMART Recovery for Family and Friends and their in-person or online meetings, watch their podcasts and videos or view their worksheets visit their website.
The family groups listed above are all peer-led family groups. Peer-led family groups are run by a person with lived experience who is not a professional therapist. These groups are generally free, with the option of making a donation. Professional family groups are run by professional therapists with a background in social work or psychology. Some are private requiring a fee and others are public with no fee. You can find other peer-led groups or public professional family groups here:
The Ontario Caregiver Organization website has self-care webinars for caregivers, including:
Learn about addiction. Addiction is a disease; it is not a moral failing. It is not a lack of willpower. Without this education, you may blame your loved one or yourself for their illness. You may feel shame or guilt and be less likely to get help.
Learn about drugs. If your loved one is addicted to:
Learn about recovery. There are many roads to recovery. Your loved one will have to figure out which path is best for them. Expect recurrences/relapses. Recurrences are not a sign that recovery has failed. Recovery is the process of learning how to live with a chronic illness. Your loved one is learning.
Learn about treatment – For example, detox is not recommended for people addicted to opioids. Instead, staying on medication or slowly tapering off medication can significantly reduce risk of death.
Learn about stigma – Families are a main source of stigma for individuals struggling with addiction. Learn how you may inadvertently be stigmatizing your loved one and yourself. Educate others about the harms of stigma.
The Ontario Caregiver Organization website features a resource hub for caregivers of those with mental illness and addictions, explaining consent/capacity and privacy laws:
Kinkeeper has courses and webinars on caregiver rights and consent/capacity laws in Ontario.
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