In 2020, the Canadian Substance Use Costs and Harms (CSUCH) data reported that substance use resulted in a loss of $22.4 billion in productivity. This represents 45.6% of the overall cost and harms of substance use, which amounted to $49.1 billion in Canada for that year, as per the latest available data. The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) has recently published a resource titled "Cost of Substance Use on the Economic Productivity of Canadians – Findings at a Glance," which sheds light on the expenses and consequences linked to the decline in productivity. Some key...

Emotional wellness is a cornerstone of the recovery process. The American Addictions Centers explained in this short guidance how to use mindfulness therapy and other techniques to help individuals overcome negative thinking, leading to a healthier life and a successful recovery journey.

The Many Paths to Wellness: Explore Chapter 5 in "Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General's Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health," which defines the concept of recovery from substance use disorders and reviews methods used by mutual aid groups and recovery support services to foster and sustain recovery. Understand why recovery matters and the diverse paths to wellness.

The American Addictions Centers provide insights into how a healthy diet and exercise can enhance overall health and recovery. This resource offers an overview of the root of addiction and how to overcome it through healthy life habits. This guidance will emphasize the benefits of a healthy diet in improving overall health and supporting recovery. It will also shed light on the positive impact of exercise, including therapies like yoga, on both physical and mental well-being. Additionally, it will provide an overview of the underlying causes of addiction and offer insights on how to overcome...

SAMHSA explains the concept of wellness, encompassing physical and mental health. This resource elaborates on the eight dimensions of wellness that cover various aspects of modern-day life, highlighting the interconnection between physical and mental well-being.

The N‑SUMHSS is a voluntary annual survey of all active substance use and mental health facilities in the United States, its territories, and D.C. The annual report presents findings on the general profile of substance use and mental health facilities, use of pharmacotherapies/medications, language assistance provided, and suicide prevention services.

This report includes data and findings from 20,6223 facilities, which comprised of 14,010 substance use facilities (75.3% of 18,615 eligible substance use facilities), 9,050 mental health facilities (71.1% of 12,723 eligible mental health...

Background

Novel public health interventions are needed to address the toxic drug supply and meet the needs of people who use drugs amidst the overdose crisis. Safer supply – low-barrier distribution of pharmaceutical grade substances – has been implemented in some jurisdictions to provide safer alternatives to the unregulated drug supply, yet no studies to date have explored professional stakeholder perspectives on this approach.

Methods

Purposive sampling was used to recruit professional stakeholders (n = 17) from four locations in British Columbia, Ontario, and Nova Scotia, including...