Ottawa, May 17, 2021 — Overcoming Stigma, a suite of online resources to help Canadians recognize the various forms of stigma and their devastating impact on people who use substances, is now complete and available to the public. The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) developed the newly released second and third modules in partnership with the Community Addictions Peer Support Association (CAPSA). The full suite consists of three modules to help change the conversation around stigma and substance use.

The following modules are now available:

• The Pain of Stigma: Recognizing Stigma and Its Impacts
• Insights on Substance Use: Understanding the Science on Substance Use Disorder
• Stigma Ends with Me: Changing the Conversation about Substance Use

Stigma is a major barrier to wellness and good health for people who use substances. It often prevents people from seeking the help they need. Designed to challenge biases, each of the modules uses thought-provoking exercises and videos from experts in the field, including people with lived and living experience with substance use. The modules explain the science of substance use and substance use disorders. They also explore language that acknowledges substance use disorder as a medical condition and not a moral failing.

CCSA is proud to have partnered with CAPSA on these two modules and happy to have had their contributions to complete the suite of resources. How we approach stigma and substance use are part of an ongoing and changing conversation. Even small shifts in language can help to reduce the harms of stigma, improve wellness and break down barriers to recovery across Canada.

For more information on CCSA’s work on eliminating stigma, visit https://www.ccsa.ca/stigma.