Personal Impacts of Substance Use

The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) transforms complex data into insights that reflect real human experiences. Every aspect of the Canadian Substance Use Cost and Harms (CSUCH) project represents individuals with lived or living experience of substance use, along with their families, workplaces, and communities.

A new resource highlights these journeys and the human cost of substance use through illustrated stories from people with lived experience and their families. The illustrations cover three key areas of the CSUCH project: healthcare, lost productivity, and criminal justice.

Portraying people who use alcohol and drugs as whole individuals is essential for reducing stigma in Canada. These illustrations provide context and insight and can be shared to raise awareness and understanding.

Together, it is possible to create space for compassion, understanding, and healing.