Featured links on drugs, alcohol and substance abuse

Inhalants

“Sniffing,” or inhalant abuse – How can this affect your health? From the Canadian Health Network

Take an in-depth look at how your body responds to inhalants from the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba.

What are the signs of those using inhalants? From Deal.org

See what others are asking about inhalants – and find out what the answers are from Zoot2 youth Website of the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission.

National Drug and Addictions Awareness Week

Most provinces have special activities during the week of November 19-25, 2006. Find out what is happening across Canada during the National Drug and Addictions Awareness Week from the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse.

Help us promote healthy choices about substance use and addictions. Learn about addictions and to recognize the signs of substance use problems.

Need Help? There are lots of Canadian organizations ready to help when in need. Find out which helpline services are available in your area.

Prescription Drugs

Fast facts about the health effects of prescription drugs from the Canada Health Portal.

Concerned about the safe use of medication? Get tips and guidelines from Newfoundland and Labrador's Department of Health and Community Services.

To learn more about the safe use of medicines read this Health Canada article

An in-depth look at safety issues surrounding prescription drug abuse from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) of the United States.

Methamphetamine (Meth)

See what you need to know about Crystal Meth from this new brochure. It was produced by the Centre québécois de luttes aux dépendances in partnership with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Get the latest fact sheet on the Meth situation in Alberta from the Alberta Centre for Child, Family and Community Research.

Know more about the effects of Meth and what exactly it does in the body. Get more facts and test your knowledge from Health Canada's Be Drug Wise web site

Get to know the rest of Meth’s family: amphetamines from the Zoot2 of the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission (AADAC) or from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)?

Fun and Games

Play the games and the activities on Zoot2.com from the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission (AADAC)

Find more

games and activities (French only) on Parlonsdrogues.com from the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux, Quebec.

Magic Mushrooms

Get to know more about magic mushrooms and Psilocybin from the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba.

What exactly is a hallucinogen? From the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

Find out how to prevent an accidental mushroom poisoning from the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids).

It’s illegal to gather, possess, or sell magic mushrooms. Get more information about the law,from Deal.org web site.

Impaired Boating

You know about the risks of impaired driving, but have you thought about the risks of mixing summer water sports with alcohol or drugs? from Transport Canada’s Safe Boating Guide.

Take the Boat Sober Quiz at BoatSmartCanada.com from Transport Canada and the Canadian Red Cross.

Find out how summer can actually intensify the effects of alcohol? at Boatsmartcanada.com from Transport Canada and the Canadian Red Cross.

Remember: Underage drinking and boating are not only dangerous, but a criminal offence. From Transport Canada’s Safe Boater Guide.

Pot Driving:

If driving high is like playing a video game, what happens when you make a wrong move? from the Canadian Public Health Association’s Pot and Driving Campaign.

“Truth and Ace”, a multimedia youth awareness program on drug and alcohol driving presented in schools by the Youth Assembly Program of Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD).

Check out:

The “Truth” video, narrated by Raine Maida (Our Lady Peace) and Chantal Kreviazuk. It also includes Simple Plan’s music video “Untitled” and music from other top recording artists.
The “ACE” video and find out what Tony Hawk, Raine Maida, Hilary Duff and other well known guests have to say about alcohol and drug use prevention.

Find out more on Driving while high on marijuana on Be Drug Wise.

Celebrations:

Congratulations to Class of 2006!

June is the month for school grads and celebrations. You want your memories to be good ones. Visit Safegrad to get tips and advice on how to plan great and safe parties.

The virtual-party was written by a group of young people and is coordinated by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Make some choices and pick up some pointers on how to keep the harm out of your party-style.

Caffeine: How much is too much? Where do you find caffeine? What are the effects? Find out more about caffeine and energy drinks from Health Canada “It’s your Health” articles.

You can also check out this article to see a chart listing how much caffeine is in some common foods and drinks.

What are the warning signs of alcohol and other drug-related problems, and how can one find help? From the Canadian Health Network.

Do You Know... Ecstasy or GHB or Ketamine a series of fact sheets from the Centre on Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)

Drugs: Know the Facts, Cut your Risks A great source of information on all substances including Ecstasy and GHB and Ketamine from the Comité québécois de lutte aux dépendances: (French only).

How does the drug Ecstasy affect health? from the Canadian Health Network.

What is Ecstasy? and What are the "Club Drugs"? from the US National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

"Why does my mom or dad drink so much?", "When I grow up, will I have an alcohol problem too?" or "What can I do so that I don’t ever have an alcohol problem?". Find out the answers to these questions in this article from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

The article Talking with Parents from the British SupportLine Web site, explains more about the relationship between youth and their parents, including how to raise issues like alcohol and other drugs. Please note: Although the general information on this Web site is valuable for Canadians, the contact names, support organizations and telephone numbers are restricted to people in the United Kingdom.

The Canadian Health Network site also has advice for parents and provides some guidelines that could be helpful for all of you.

The quiz and discussion guide from the booklet "Straight Talk About Marijuana" may also be useful for engaging in discussions between youth and their parents.