RESOURCES
Recommended reading and films:
Johann Hari. Chasing the Scream. The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2015. **A history of the impact of drug criminalization.
Dr. Gabor Mate: “What is addiction?”, https://www.filmsforaction.org/watch/what-is-addiction-gabor-mate. Films for Action, 2014. **A must-see short film.
Dr. Gabor Mate: In The Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction. Toronto: A.A. Knopf, 2008. **A book about real life addicts and the science behind why.
Dr. Gabor Mate: A film: https://thewisdomoftrauma.com. The Wisdom of Trauma: Can Our Deepest Pain Be A Doorway to Healing? SAND, Science And Nonduality, 2021.
Professor Bruce Alexander: The Globalization of Addiction. Oxford University Press, 2008. **A book about how globalization is leading to social dislocation and creating addiction as a substitute for what we are missing. Dr. Alexander is also the inventor of the well-known “Rat Park” experiment from the 1970s where he proved that isolation led to rats self-administering drugs in an effort to alleviate loneliness and detachment.
NEED SUPPORT?
Moms Stop The Harm: momsstoptheharm.com
Advocating for Change and Supporting Families Impacted by substance-use-related harms and deaths.
Holding Hope Canada: holdinghopecanada.org
Support for individuals or families as they navigate helping a loved one who is using or have used substances.
Healing Hearts Canada: healingheartscanada.org
Free bereavement support for those grieving the loss of a loved one due to overdose or substance-use-related harms.