Fraser Health urges public to 'start the conversation' on drug abuse

FraserHealthis urging the public to adopt a simplestrategy with the men in their lives who struggle with addiction: havinga conversation.

Their new campaign aims to help adult men start talking about substance abuse, since that demographicmakes up the majority of alloverdose deaths in British Columbia.

"When words matter" explains how to have those conversationabout substance abuse throughvideos and a four-page guide, with accompanying ads in bus shelters and bars.

The video features three different scenesof people having difficult conversations with their loved ones, with tips on how to be comfortable and begin talking.

The campaign is the result of extensive consultations by Fraser Health with more than 50 people at various stages of recovery. The study focused on menwho made up 82 per cent of all overdose deaths in B.C. in 2017.

Dr. Aamir Bharmal, a medical officer with FraserHealth, says that simply opening up a conversationcan be akey factor in someone'srecovery.

"What we heard from our focus groups was that having that conversation or hearing from a loved one that someone cared about them, that someone loved them ...creating a safe space for discussion about these issues was one of those steps on the path to recovery,"said Dr. Bharmal.

He also saidthat close family members play an essentialrole, because 72 per cent of overdose deaths happen in residences.

Focusing on men

Dr.Bharmal said that there are complex reasons men have the highest rate of deaths by overdose, but ithas a lot to do with the stigma around mental health issues. He said that this stigma can create a huge barrier for men in"help-seeking" behavioror the way a person reaches out for assistance.

"The help-seeking behaviour for men, specifically with anxiety or stress of depression,often isn't necessarily to go to a doctor. It may involve potentially using substances to deal with stress, " said Dr.Bharmal.

"And because there is contamination of the illicit drug supply,they are at risk of overdose."

Indigenous overdoses an outlier

While adult men are leading in overdose deaths for the general population, for the Indigenous population, the trends go in the opposite direction. The Cedar Project recently released a study which found that Indigenous youthwere dying from overdoses at agreater rate than the overall population, withnearly twice as manyIndigenous women as men.

Dr. Bharmalsays that the reasons are complexbut approaching conversations with culturalknowledge is essential.

"There are issues with trauma,emotionaltrauma, and we need to recognize the history of colonization and colonial relationships as a factor," he said.

He also says that many other factors can influence drug use.

"We need to recognize that there are other factors we need to take into account ... things like poverty and unemployment, dealing with major stresses."

Dr.Bharmal hopes the campaign will encourage people to think more broadly about how to approach their loved ones and start a conversation.