Recovery Campaign
Addictions Ontario’s objectives for our Recovery Campaign are multi-fold:
- Raise awareness of the resultant damage created by addictions to the individual, the family and the underlying costs to the community and the economy
- Communicate that addiction is a treatable health issue and people can go on to lead happy, healthy and productive lives: In short, that RECOVERY IS POSSIBLE!
- Overcome the societal stigma associated with addicts and their addictions
- Become the gateway for vital contact information of member agencies
Why launch such a campaign? Just read the facts below!
Currently, thousands of people across Ontario are in various stages of recovery from addictions and hundreds of others are on waiting lists for treatment. This demonstrates that Ontarians have a strong desire to change their addictive behaviour and are seeking information, requesting assistance and reaching out for help. Individuals in the addiction treatment system set and meet treatment goals everyday.
It is estimated that each year, 500,000+ Ontarians are affected directly by addiction. Addiction knows no bounds. Addiction affects individuals from all socioeconomic levels, all genders, all ages, all religions, all sexual orientations and all education levels. The toll substance abuse and problem gambling takes on individuals, on families, on communities, on the healthcare system and on the economy is devastating.
The cost of substance abuse in Canada in 2002 was a staggering $39.8 Billion. The Canadian Council on Substance Abuse Report (2006) showed the breakdown of these funds and attributed them as follows:
- $8.8 Billion: direct health care costs (acute care hospitalization, psychiatric hospitalization, ambulatory care, family physician visits),
- $5.4 Billion: direct law enforcement costs
- $24.3 Billion: indirect costs such as productivity losses due to resulting illness, injury and/or premature death.
With your support, Addictions Ontario’s Recovery Campaign will communicate that there is help, hope and healing available, to overcome the stigma and to ultimately transform these statistics in Ontario.