'Addiction can happen to anyone,' Saskatchewan woman says

Hundreds of people die of drug overdoses in Saskatchewan every year and the provincial government is launching a new campaign with the Moms Stop the Harm (MSTH) advocacy group to raise awareness about the issue.

"The loss of any life to an overdose, or suspected overdose, is a tragedy and has an impact on families, friends, and communities as a whole," Mental Health and Addictions Minister Everett Hindley said, as he announced the campaign on Tuesday, which is International Overdose Awareness Day. 

The MSTH group is part of a national network of families who have dealt with substance abuse and it supports a compassionate, non-discriminatory harm reduction approach for dealing with people who use substances.

The campaign will run on social media and radio and will also feature billboard and print advertisements. 

About 221 people in the province are believed to have died of overdoses between Jan. 1 and Aug. 3 of this year, according to the most recent report from the Saskatchewan Coroners Service. That includes 87 confirmed deaths by toxicity and 134 suspected deaths. 

Last year, 299 people were confirmed to have died from a drug overdose, with another 38 suspected overdose deaths, bringing the total to 337, according to the report. 

Misconceptions

"The greatest misconception about overdose is who is dying," said Marie Agioritis, director of Saskatchewan's MSTH group. "We assume our family is exempt from the tragedy of an overdose. In reality, it is the weekend user who is dying. The young man in the trades. The nurse next door. Your sister's son. This is who is dying."

Regina-based Tammie Huber, who was addicted to drugs for 18 years and has been in recovery for the past four years, agreed. 

Addiction can happen to anyone, she said, adding it's important to help others and not judge them.

People should "stop shunning addicts, they are already beaten down," said Huber, who now tries to help addicts get assistance, and works as a peer support worker for AIDS Programs South Saskatchewan.

Dr. Morris Markentin is a family physician in Saskatoon who also tries to help people struggling with addiction. He said the pandemic has been difficult for addicts.

"We shut down [support] groups," Marketenin said. "We know that in recovery with people who are successful — we can attribute 60 per cent of their success to human connection and COVID has certainly taken away a lot of that." 

Prevention services

Hindley said the government is committed to providing services that focus on prevention, awareness, harm reduction, education and treatment.

"While awareness is one key pillar of action, our government is also committed to implement initiatives that prevent overdose, save lives and expand treatment bed capacity in our province," he said. 

In addition to the awareness campaign, the government also launched a website with resources, which can be found here.