Substance use and addictions 

The Big Picture

Many people use substances (i.e., drugs, which include alcohol) or engage in certain behaviours (e.g., gambling, watching pornography) for relaxation, connection, or other subjectively enjoyable effects, as well as to cope with stress, trauma, or pain (physical or emotional). For some people, substance use or other behaviours can become harmful to themselves, their families, or communities and ultimately lead to addiction. This means their use or behaviour becomes compulsive and persists despite negative consequences to their health, daily living or relationships.  Addictions can be either substance related (e.g., alcohol or cocaine) or process-related, also known as behavioural addictions (e.g., gambling or internet addiction). Both can disrupt an individual’s ability to maintain a healthy life. 

The impacts of addiction are felt in many ways, with Ontario’s ongoing toxic unregulated drug crisis representing one of the most urgent public health challenges facing the province. The rapid increase in rates of boys and young men in particular who are seeking help related to online gambling (calls to Ontario’s mental health helpline increased by more than 300% since the legalization of online gambling)i likewise represents an urgent emerging public health crisis. 

People from all walks of life – whether employed or unemployed, housed or unhoused, old or young – can be impacted by addiction.  

Concerns you’re likely to hear

Stigma and misconceptions about substance use 

Some people may view addiction as a moral failing or express that people experiencing poisoning from the toxic drug supply are responsible for their own circumstances. These views can contribute to stigma and overlook the complex health, social and systemic factors that contribute to substance use and addiction. For the most part, rates of substance use disorders (i.e., addiction) have remained stable across Canada over the past decade. The primary factor driving the current overdose crisis is that people are using toxic unregulated drugs. Evidence shows that when people have access to regulated alternatives and thus know what they are actually consuming and at what dose, overdose rates fall and health outcomes improve. 

Public drug use and safety 

While many communities have legitimate concerns about safety and public drug use, incarceration does not address, and can actually worsen, the underlying factors that contribute to substance use, including homelessness, mental illness and a lack of access to appropriate treatment and support. Public drug use are symptoms of rising inequality and poverty, intergenerational trauma, and chronically underfunded mental and physical healthcare, not the cause of it. 

What the evidence says

  • In 2025, approximately four people died every day from an overdose in Ontario, down from an average of seven per day in 2024. iiExperts suggest this is largely due to the volume of people who use drugs who have already died and a relative stabilization of the unregulated drug supply from extremely strong and potentially deadly opioids, as well as other substances mixed into drugs (i.e., tranquilizers), which have negative health effects but do not pose the same risk of fatal overdose. 
  • Since 2016, about three-in-four opioid-related deaths were men and 30-50 per cent of those who were employed worked in trades at the time of their death.iii 
  • Alcohol is the leading cause of substance-related hospitalizations in Canada. Alcohol is, by far, the costliest substance for society, measured in healthcare, justice system, and lost productivity costs.iv 
     
  • Thirty-nine per cent of Canadians report using online activities such as social media or video games as ways to cope with stress or heavy emotions.v vi 
  • One-in-10 Canadians report gambling behaviours that are at high risk of leading to problem gambling. vii 

What you can do

  • Collaborate with public health to communicate when surges in overdoses from toxic drug supply arise to make the community aware and provide information from community partners on how to stay safe and vigilant. 
  • Endorse supports available through community organizations like CMHA to get help. 
  • Challenge misconceptions and encourage evidence-based solutions at government planning tables, including harm reduction as part of (not a substitute for) the full continuum of substance use healthcare. 
  • Advocate for sustainable provincial and federal investments in needed health and social services, including supportive housing, mental health, and voluntary treatment for opioid and other substance use disorders. 

Innovative approaches from CMHA branches 

  • Rapid Access Addiction Medicine (RAAM) clinics offered by CMHAs deliver low-barrier treatment for substance use. Clients attending RAAM clinics use emergency departments up to 80 per cent less often, freeing up hospital capacity. In 2023-24 alone, RAAM clinics served over 23,000 Ontarians, saving $460 million in health care costs.viii 
  • Many CMHAs offer individual and group-based addictions counselling or case management services to help people experiencing addiction develop healthy coping mechanisms and/or navigate additional community supports. 
  • 16 CMHA branches are leads or partners in provincially funded Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hubs across the province, which include a variety of wraparound supports such as case management, counselling, peer support, vocational services, occupational therapy, primary care and more. 

Learn more about substance use and addictions

  • Connect with your local CMHA branch to learn about programs and services  

Questions? Contact us at info@cmhabriefingroom.ca 

Sources for this factsheet are available at cmhabriefingroom.ca/resources