Fraser Health is ramping up efforts to deal with the opioid overdose crisis with a new survey aimed at understanding the support needs of drug users.
The new survey posted at www.drugsurvey.org will ask people who use substances in private residences and their family, friends and loved ones about access and barriers to supports.
The survey will be available until June 5 and the data will be used to create a mental health and addictions system that better supports the people who need it, according to a press release from Fraser Health.
Many people who use substances alone often do so because of the stigma associated with substance use, making it difficult to reach people in this demographic. Pain was the most identified stressor leading to drug use and the anonymous survey is the latest effort to better understand the characteristics of people who are consuming substance at home alone.
Men in trades were also more disproportionately represented in hospital and ambulance data about admissions for severe overdoses, the release notes.
“So many lives have been lost due to this crisis. People are risking their lives every day because they do not want to reveal that they use illegal substances,” stated Fraser Health chief medical health officer Dr. Victoria Lee.
“Our hope is that the survey will empower people living with substance use issues to speak up anonymously and share information that could help us understand what we need to do to engage people in our services.”
