Alcohol, Drugs and Solvents

Health - for both individuals and communities - can only result through a combination of physical, emotional, spiritual and mental well-being. Nowhere is this more convincingly illustrated, perhaps, than through the reality of substance abuse among First Nations people and Inuit.

In a Saskatchewan study, treatment centre staff ranked "lost cultural identity" as the single most important factor for drug and alcohol abuse among First Nations people and Inuit. In Aboriginal tradition, the health and well-being of an individual flows largely from the health and social make-up of the community. This suggests that not only must substance abuse be understood in terms of social behaviour, but that its solutions lie in the actions of the community.

Through the National Native Alcohol & Drug Abuse Program (NNADAP) and the National Youth Solvent Abuse Program (NYSAP), Health Canada helps First Nations and Inuit communities to develop local programs aimed at preventing the abuse of alcohol, drugs and solvents - and restoring the well-being of both individuals and communities.

You can get basic information on the treatment centres funded by NNADAP and NYSAP through the directory of treatment centres, compiled and updated as part of these programs.