Peer connections play a crucial role in changing attitudes toward substance use and harm reduction
This week is National Addictions Awareness Week (Nov. 24-30), an initiative led by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction to highlight solutions to help address harms caused by alcohol and other substances. It's also an opportunity to learn more about prevention and harm reduction, talk about treatment and recovery, and discuss solutions for change.
The theme of this year's National Addictions Awareness Week is Forging Connections. Substance use is a complex and multi-layered health issue made more prevalent for First Nations people given the associated trauma from intergenerational and current day impacts of colonialism. Community members who use substances often hide their substance use due to fear of judgment, fear of losing their family, their job, their home. This isolates them and puts them at greater risk of harm.
To promote connection, we must reach out to those in our communities and families who are experiencing substance use, walk beside them, and acknowledge the value of their lives and how deserving they are of love through connection.
The opposite of addiction is connection.
-Johann Hari
Rachel Plamondon-Assu, a member of the Wei-Wai-Kai Nation, is the senior manager of peer and harm reduction services with RainCity Housing and provided the following observations on the importance of forming community with peers who can connect over shared experience.
Peer connections in the community play a crucial role in changing attitudes toward substance use and harm reduction. When individuals who have experienced substance use challenges come together, they create a supportive environment where open conversations can take place. This peer support fosters understanding and empathy, which can significantly shift perceptions about substance use from stigma to compassion.
By sharing their stories and experiences, peers can highlight the realities of addiction and recovery, emphasizing that substance use is often a complex issue influenced by various factors, including mental health, trauma, and social circumstances. This narrative helps to humanize those struggling with substance use, encouraging community members to view them with empathy rather than judgment.
Finding hope and confidence in their experiences is vital for peers. When individuals see others who have successfully navigated similar challenges, it instills a sense of possibility and resilience. This hope can be transformative, motivating individuals to seek help and pursue healthier choices. Moreover, when peers uplift each other, they create a ripple effect—encouraging others to share their stories and fostering a culture of support and understanding.
Building confidence through peer connections also empowers individuals to take an active role in their recovery and community. They can become advocates for harm reduction, sharing evidence-based practices and resources that promote safer choices. This empowerment not only benefits the individuals involved but also contributes to a broader cultural shift toward acceptance and support for harm reduction strategies.
Peer connections are essential in changing attitudes toward substance use and harm reduction. By fostering hope and confidence through shared experiences, peers can uplift one another, creating a supportive community that encourages healing, understanding, and positive change.
Through our programs, the FNHA supports forging connection between people who use substances through peer programs that are available in each of FNHA's five regions. These programs provide peer and outreach support to First Nations individuals using substances, providing connection to services and access to safer use supplies. They also support people who use substances by hosting community events, running community engagement and providing connection to culture.
For more information on how you can forge connections, the FNHA's Courageous Conversations on Substance. Use toolkit is a culturally grounded, First Nations-led resource.
