Victoria parents co-author guide for parents who have children facing substance use disorders
A B.C. advocate for more compassionate drug policies and the co-founder of Moms Stop the Harm says a new guidebook to help support parents with a child who is facing a substance use disorder should be distributed far and wide.
Leslie McBain lost her only child to a drug overdose in 2014 when he was 25-years-old – and she says she wishes she had the handbook that a group of Victoria parents and caregivers have just released.
The 106-page guide is called Parents Like Us: The unofficial survival guide to parent a young person with a substance use disorder. It covers a plethora of topics, including early warning signs for substance use, harm reduction tips, naloxone access and information, ways for parents to stay connected to their child, resources, and heartfelt reflections from parents.
"They’ve taken a beautiful approach of compassion and understanding," said McBain from her home on Pender Island.
"I wish I had that guidebook when my son was in addiction – he may still be alive today."
The authors say the book is for parents like them who are part of a club "we never wanted to be in."
It can be accessed online through Foundry, a health and wellness group serving people aged 12-24. It was developed as part of the Improving Treatment Together Project and is co-led by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, FoundryBC and Foundry Victoria.
Foundry says the launch of the handbook is timely as youth overdoses have been rising.
"Since the overdose crisis was declared a public health emergency in 2016, over 100 young people under the age of 19 in B.C. died from toxic illicit drug poisoning," said the organization in a release.
- Suspected overdose death of 12-year-old pushes government to 'do better': Minister
- 'We are extremely saddened': Suspected drug overdose kills 14-year-old boy on Vancouver Island
"One of the most poignant things that I saw was to not get into arguments," said McBain, referring to one of the chapters in the guide.
"To take a softer approach – it’s hard because we’re fearful," she said.
The section on staying connected with your child encourages parents to trust their gut as much as they can.
"It’s okay to screw up and say the wrong thing sometimes," it says. "The most important thing is to find ways to stay connected with your young person."
There’s also advice on harm reduction, which McBain agrees are often contrary to a parent’s first reaction – like a suggestion to stay with your child while they use in case of an overdose.
"The first order is to keep people alive because people who are dead do not ever recover," she said.
Moms Stop the Harm hopes the handbook gets distributed throughout B.C. schools and to parent advisory councils with the resources section catered to each community.
McBain had no part in the creation of the document.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.
Djokovic needs medical attention after getting knocked on the head by a water bottle at Italian Open
Novak Djokovic needed medical attention after apparently getting knocked on the head by a water bottle after a win at the Italian Open on Friday.