CMHA Ottawa marks National Addictions Awareness Week

From Nov. 13 to 19, CMHA Ottawa will join with the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA) and addiction prevention, treatment and recovery organizations across the country to mark National Addictions Awareness Week (NAAW).

From Nov. 13 to 19, CMHA Ottawa will join with the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA) and addiction prevention, treatment and recovery organizations across the country to mark National Addictions Awareness Week (NAAW).

NAAW is an opportunity for Canadians to learn more about substance misuse, prevention, treatment and recovery. This year’s NAAW theme is Addiction Matters. In Canada, it is estimated that approximately 21 percent of the population (roughly six million people) will meet the criteria for addiction in their lifetime.

CMHA recognizes that while there is no single set of factors that represent the complex causes of addiction, mental health and addictions are linked and impact one another. A mental health issue in conjunction with addiction or substance misuse is known as a concurrent disorder.

While it is difficult to obtain an accurate statistic of people living with concurrent disorders, research shows that more than 50 percent of those who are seeking help for an addiction also have a mental illness.

For information on CMHA Ottawa’s community support programs please visit https://ottawa.cmha.ca/programs-and-services/community-support/