Visions Journal

PDF | EPUB | Vol. 13, No. 3 (2018)

British Columbia is experiencing a crisis. Overdose deaths continue to rise, and in 2016 the province declared a public health emergency. Most overdose deaths come from the use of opioids. Opioids include drugs that come from the opium poppy, like morphine and heroin, and drugs that are manufactured from chemicals that are similar to those found in poppies, like fentanyl. We hear media coverage about the crisis almost every day, but what do we know about the people who are affected? How did they get to where they are now? What do they need to be safe? What do they need from their communities? People from every walk of life are affected, and in this issue of Visions, you’ll find a diverse group of people sharing their experiences and reflections on opioid use. You’ll see that no matter where you come from, you can experience challenges—and you can find hope and support. You’ll also find one important common message: people need solutions that understand the mental and physical pain that contributes to opioid use.

Background

• Editor's Message
  (Sarah Hamid-Balma)

• Humanizing Our Response to the Opioid Overdose Crisis
  (Dan Reist)

• Opioids and Opioid Use in Canada: A complex history
  (Gaëlle Niccolussi)

Experiences and Perspectives

• Young, Bipolar, and Addicted to OxyContin: An insider’s perspective
  (John Charles Hilderley)

• How Did We End Up Here? Holding on through a close friend’s opioid addiction
  (Astrid)

• Living a Good Life—With or Without Opioids: It all comes down to decent, safe housing
  (Al Fowler)

• It Take a Recovery-Ready Community to Keep Loved Ones Connected and Healthy and to Reduce the Harm from Substance Use
  (Sherry Vaile Robinson)

• “It Helped Me Forget:” A young mother’s journey through loss—and finding hope
  (Farren Whitford)

• The Chronic Pain of Pain Management: How the new opioid prescription guidelines risk patient care
  (Kathryn Sutton)

Alternatives and Approaches

• Duncan’s Overdose Prevention Site: Serving the community and making positive change
  (Melissa Middlemass)

• What Do Trauma and Gender Have to Do with Opioid Use?
  (Natalie Hemsing, Nancy Poole, and Lorraine Greaves)

• More Tools in the Toolkit: Expanding medical treatment options for opioid addiction
  (Cheyenne Johnson and Emily Wagner)

• Let’s Talk Opioids: Strengthening community through dialogue 
  (Nicole Bodner and Kristina Jenei)

• Creating a Community in the Middle of a Crisis
  (Katrina Jensen)

Resources