Categories:

Table of content

JOIN FREE GROUP

All About Recovery

Facebook Group • 2213 members

There's always clouds before the rainbows. Join many others who are going through the same thing as you and see proof that it can get better.

JOIN FREE GROUP

National Addictions Awareness Week 2022

Written by Seth Fletcher on November 11, 2022

Last update: February 26, 2024

National Addictions Awareness Week is an annual campaign that aims to raise awareness about substance abuse and its consequences. The weeklong event takes place annually in November, with different activities every day. The goal of National Addictions Awareness Week (NAAW) is to bring attention to substance abuse and addiction as diseases, and not a lifestyle choice or moral failure. Prevention, education, support, treatment, and advocacy are all important in preventing drug use from progressing into addiction. This campaign is organized by stakeholders from the prevention, treatment, recovery and advocacy communities across the country. Let’s take a look at when National Addictions Awareness Week will take place in 2022 and what you can do to get involved!

Table of contents 1. What Is the National Addictions Awareness Week? 2. Activities For the National Addictions Awareness Week 2022 3. Why Is This Week Important? 4. How to Participate

What Is the National Addictions Awareness Week?

The National Addictions Awareness Week (NAAW) is a campaign that takes place each year in November. In 2022, it is from November 20 to November 26. Organized by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, it aims to raise awareness about the dangers of substance abuse, its consequences and possible solutions (treatments, recovery process, etc.). It is also an opportunity to do prevention. NAAW is primarily an online campaign, with social media being the primary means of information-sharing. The campaign is organized by stakeholders from the prevention, treatment, recovery and advocacy communities across the country, who seek to promote a National Addictions Awareness Week that is both collaborative and inclusive of the many divergent perspectives on substance abuse and addiction.

Activities For the National Addictions Awareness Week 2022

This year's theme is A Community of Caring. There are a number of ways you can get involved with National Addictions Awareness Week, including:

Participating in the online conversation about addiction, its causes, and its treatment.
Sharing addiction facts and statistics on social media, or in your community.
Organizing an event in your community.

The CCSA developed partnerships with organizations caring about substance use health. Many resources are available on their website for each type of audience: employers, harm reduction workers, educators, parents, etc. You can also find resources helping you with mental health and stigma, ways to create safer communities and tips to start a journey to wellness.

Why Is This Week Important?

Addiction is a disease that affects millions of people in Canada and around the globe. Unfortunately, there is still a great deal of stigma surrounding addiction — something that this campaign seeks to change. According to the Library of Parliament HillStudies, in 2020, 6 306 people died of apparent opioid toxicity in Canada, which is an average of about 17 deaths per day. The prevalence of addiction is growing: the same study shows that the number of apparent opioid toxicity deaths increased between 2016 and 2020. By raising awareness about substance abuse and its consequences, we can help to break down the stigma surrounding the addiction. We can start to recognize addiction as a disease that affects people from all walks of life. We can help people to get the addiction treatment program they need — and crucially, we can help them to receive this treatment without judgment. We can help to remove some of the barriers to treatment that many people face, including a lack of insurance coverage, cultural stigma, and a lack of resources available in rural areas.

How to Participate

You can use the hashtags #CommunityCaring and #NAAW2022 to show the different ways your community is helping people struggling with addiction. Some visuals are available on the CCSA website with formats adapted to each social media. Spread the word!

Seth Fletcher

Certified Addiction Counsellor

Seth brings many years of professional experience working the front lines of addiction in both the government and privatized sectors.