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Organization Launches Self-Assessment Tool in Honor of National Substance Abuse Prevention Month

 End Of Addiction is launching a self-assessment tool to help people identify if they have a problem and to get the help they need in honor of National Substance Abuse Prevention Month.

At the start of “Sober October 2020,” the National Substance Abuse Prevention Month, Abundance Behavioural Health and Careteam Technologies are proud to announce they have partnered together alongside caring individuals to collaborate to see the End of Addiction. A grassroots movement, the hopes are to have others join to end the needless suffering and pain felt by so many. As part of the launch, the coalition has developed a free anonymous self-assessment tool to help people identify if they or a loved one have a problem, and to get the help they need.

Addiction manifests itself in many ways, from drugs to alcohol abuse. What is clear is addition is no longer anonymous. Its cords are reaching into families everywhere, ripping at the fabric of our communities. Every day, more than 400 people die from a drug overdose, and hundreds more deaths are related to alcohol or suicide related to an addiction. Plus there is untold personal, family, and societal suffering. It’s getting worse, so we need to take a different approach.

The COVID-19 crisis has created a time of uncertainty and anxiety for people around the world. According to a report from the CCSA since the start of COVID, 25% of Canadians (aged 35 to 54) are drinking more while at home due to COVID-19 pandemic. That is in addition to the 21% of Canadians, who already suffer from addiction and are finding it more difficult to get the support that they need.

Samantha Yarwood, chief innovation and inspiration officer of Abudance, and former director of marketing for Starbucks EMEA, shares, “Since the start of COVID I have noticed an increase in social media posts encouraging alcohol consumption. As we enter the winter months, and more people are confined to their homes, we know people will turn to social media for connection, which is in turn affecting alcohol use.”

A study by Movendi reports that during the start of the confinement, 47% of respondents said that their beer consumption increased, followed by wine at 37%, and liquor at 30%. It has also been reported that alcohol sales have increased as much as 282%.

Samantha further comments, “We know if someone wants to change their behaviors, or to get help, it isn’t easy. I am proud that we are able to launch this new online self-assessment tool to help individuals and their families better understand where they are today and the next steps they can take to change.”

Dr. Alexandra T. Greenhill, a family physician, and CEO and chief medical officer of Careteam Technologies, led the development of the self-assessment tools, informed by evidence and adapted using a person-centric approach to make them easier to answer. “The challenge is often to reach the people facing addiction issues and open a conversation about whether there is a problem and what to do about it,” Greenhill says. "This approach is not threatening as the language is destigmatising, there is no requirement to share any personal information and it’s super fast to complete."

The self-assessment tools launched by End Of Addiction are similar to the self-assessment tools launched to help people make sense of whether they need to seek further medical attention due to COVID. The End Of Addiction self-assessments are done anonymously, take 5-10 minutes and will assist individuals to assess whether they or their loved one have a problem with alcohol or other addictions and, if required, understand what steps to take next.

Source: Abundance Behavioural Health and Careteam Technologies