We often hear the “maybe ifs” and “what ifs” from peers who have, or had, a parent struggling with substance use & incarceration. Some remember believing it is their fault, a belief that grows as they do. Some are quietly grateful when their parent went to prison, told it was a place for getting better, and trusting they will. But as we grow and learn and start to listen to our inner voices, the questions shift. We begin to wonder: what would have been different if support h

Initially when we started working on the Children's Rights Toolkit at Starlings, I was very excited, and I'm thrilled with how the toolkit came together.  But in between those moments, I couldn't help but read the United Nations Convention on the Rights of A Child and feel deeply sad. As a young adult, still considered a youth in Canada, I am grieving the fact that, for a long time, my rights and those of my parents were taken away or not supported. And it's time for change. 

Today, we invite each of us to challenge our own biases towards people with a SUD, while considering how our beliefs may contribute to the l

Stigma has a perverse effect of silencing. It creates taboos and results in issues not being addressed. Stigma renders some people and...

They say that time heals all wounds, but with grief, it can feel everlasting. At the age of 12, I lost my father to a drug poisoning*. I can't fully explain the impact that losing a parent to a toxic drug supply has had on me, because for most of my life, the stigma of substance use encouraged me to do everything I could to prevent the outside from looking in, ensuring I didn’t talk about it. But today, I’m talking.