Want to know how you can support a parent/friend/relative who has a child suffering with substance use disorder? STOP SHAMING. Stop calling us names and telling us what to do. STIGMA KILLS. Please don’t call us “ENABLERS”. This idea implies that one person has some level of control over another’s behaviors- and that one person is partly responsible or to blame for the substance use of another. This enabling idea suggests that our decisions are to blame for our child’s addiction. Or, that if we withheld resources - this would be the reason that our child would stop drug use. That somehow our ..read more

*Excerpts from an article written by the Cleveland Clinic in February 2022 by Kia-Rai Prewitt, PhD I read this article online recently and wanted to share some of it. I think it is so relevant to what we experience as we are challenged by our loved ones’ substance use. Some of us may be more familiar with what is called ‘anticipatory grief’, which is another term used for this experience. I hope the article speaks to you the way it did to me. ————— It has been more than 40 years since family therapist Pauline Boss, PhD, first coined the term ‘ambiguous loss’ and published her book by the same ..read more

Dealing with a loved one's substance use during the holidays can be challenging and emotionally taxing. Here are some suggestions that might help you navigate this difficult situation: Seek Support: Reach out to friends, family, or support groups who understand your situation. You don't have to go through this alone. Consider attending a Holding Hope Canada group meeting or virtual meeting. Set Boundaries: Clearly communicate your boundaries and expectations regarding their substance use. Be firm but compassionate. Understand that you cannot control their choices or actions, but ..read more

Last night was our Holding Hope Support Group meeting here in Port Alberni. We usually average around six families. As a facilitator, there is a huge commitment to be there in the moment with the others in the group. Frankly, last night I felt tired. My wife and I deal with our own challenges with the person in our family who has a substance disorder and who we love and support. In any given month things go up and down with the people we try and support. I'm sure it's like that with everyone. I'd even go so far as to say that that cycle could be longer than a monthly. I've seen some families w ..read more

Benjamin Perrin Join us for a Holding Hope Connects Conversation “From Crime & Punishment to a Compassionate & Evidence Based Approach Towards Substance Use.” Via Zoom on Saturday, May 6th at 9am (PST) REGISTER HERE Benjamin Perrin is a professor at the Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia. His books include Overdose: Heartbreak and Hope in Canada’s Opioid Crisis (Penguin Random House, 2022) and Victim Law: The Law of Victims of Crime in Canada (Thomson Carswell, 2017). My current project on “Reimagining Criminal Justice” is funded by the Law Foundation ..read more

You’re probably asking yourself, what the heck is “anticipatory” grief? You’re reading the wrong article if this instantly doesn’t resonate with you. Then again, the very nature of anticipating grief is something most of us push down into the very bottom of our conscious minds. This is going to get very real, so let’s put the triggering warning right upfront. We’re going to be talking about the death of someone we love driven by an overdose of the street poisoned drug supply. I have no desire to cause additional fear or pain, so I urge you to stop reading right now if this is causing that s ..read more

I find it really amazing and curious this journey that we call “life.” Some of the things that came my way I for sure didn’t feel like I was prepared for and yet that is what’s kept me as a lifelong learner realizing that there’s so much to learn in life. It was a number of years ago that one of my adult children was in a new relationship and started to distance themselves from me. In my mind I thought they were tied up with their new life and relationship and didn’t need me as much anymore. It was only long afterwards and through some very heartfelt conversations that it came to light what ..read more

Please join us on November 28 at 630pmPT for an information session on how to become a Holding Hope Facilitator. Register Here ..read more

Lori Hatfield and her son Michael carrying the banner at International Overdose Awareness Day in Edmonton August 2021 Recently our family celebrated an important day and a rewarding gift! We celebrated my son Michael’s graduation from the Calgary Drug Court Treatment Program in Alberta! There were many people who supported Michael and our family throughout this journey. Our deepest thanks and love to each and every one of you who encouraged us to never give up hope. To Moms Stop The Harm and Holding Hope Peer Support groups - I don't know if we would be where we are today if I hadn't found yo ..read more

This is a bit long but I hope it touches you. We are not alone. My journey has been over thirty years in the making. A long, drawn out roller coaster of a story that I won’t subject you to. Those of us who have suffered along with our loved ones in active addiction will know the story. It will be theirs. Personally, reading someone else’s story is the last thing I want when I am suffering my own. Being brutally honest, if your child or loved one is doing well it will make me feel more inadequate than I already do. If they are doing worse it will cause my fear to skyrocket and I will panic. My ..read more