Why your friends, neighbours and colleagues may use unregulated drugs

Every year, Interior Health’s medical health officers (MHOs) publish a report that addresses health topics that may interest British Columbians. These reports contain recommendations for changes to legislation, or for new programs and policies to improve health.

This year, we published The Toxic Drug Crisis in BC’s Southern Interior Region Medical Health Officer (MHO) Report Part 2. While Part 1 described the health impacts of the toxic drug supply, Part 2 explores why people may use substances, among other topics.

Read Report Part 1

Read Report Part 2

These reports include information related to unregulated substance poisoning deaths. We recognize this content and subject matter may be triggering and cause trauma to readers. Please find the right time and space where you are ready to engage with the material before you proceed, and care for your safety and wellbeing. You can also contact our emergency and crisis lines, and we have substance use services and resources you can access.

For the report, a team met with a group of people with lived and living experiences – called peers – who use substances. Here, in their own words, are some of the reasons they started or continued to use substances:

“[I have a] broken back and nothing numbs the pain.”

“To manage acute pain due to injury and being prescribed an opiate. Once a doctor stops prescribing, you turn to street drugs.”

“It’s like I blinked and I needed it, it wasn’t a want anymore.”

“I stay an active user ‘cause I’m not ready to deal with my psychological issues.”

One peer who was interviewed spoke to the misconceptions around those who use substances:

“There are a lot of users in hiding who work and have jobs. It’s not just a homeless problem, but it seems people focus on that and I’m not sure why.”

Every day, hundreds of Interior Health staff and health-care workers, along with first responders like paramedics and firefighters, provide care to those whose substance use has put them in crisis.  In April, we interviewed our staff about the toxic drug crisis anniversary.

For the release of the medical health officer report on the toxic drug crisis, we spoke with a number of our staff about why people may use substances. Here's what they said:

As a society, we often judge those who drink too much, smoke cigarettes or cannabis, overeat, have mental health challenges – and any other number of reasons.

The MHO report asks that “everyone reflects on the perspectives of people who have lived the experiences presented in this report, and commits to anti-stigma and anti-racism work within yourself, your family, your community and your workplace.”

Here are just a few ways you can cultivate self-reflection, empathy and understanding.

Watch these videos

The Stigma and Substance Use playlist contains a series of short videos about ending stigma:

Watch the Stigma and Substance Use videos

Paper People is a poem written by Alison Ko, a former Interior Health staff member, about her experiences reviewing the medical charts of those who died from suspected drug poisoning.

Volunteer

Volunteer with Moms Stop The Harm, a group that advocates to end substance use-related stigma, harms and deaths.

Visit Moms Stop The Harm's website

Learn about non-stigmatizing language

View our story on changing the way we talk about substance use

Commit to Indigenous anti-racism work

Watch these videos from the First Nations Health Authority:

Harm Reduction Video Shorts

Increase the Support. Reduce the Harm video series