The Saskatchewan Coroners Service estimates there could be 378 overdose deaths this year, continuing a rise which began in 2016.
The aim of a USask research study is to turn that around.

Dr. Barb Fornssler  and her team from the School of Public Health are talking directly to the people who are dealing with addictions to figure out how to improve services.

Fornssler says they are interviewing 20 white collar workers, 20 blue collar workers and 20 underemployed individuals who have experienced a disruption in their relationships or employment as a result of substance use.

One of the things the team is looking at is how people in different economic groups access services, or whether people avoid seeking support because of stigma or fears about losing their job.

Some of the barriers researchers have heard to date include fear of job loss and lack of treatment capacity. Fornssler says she often reminds people that bars and casinos were opened before treatment centres in Saskatchewan, and that set addictions services back even further.

She hopes that hearing from people with lived experience and relaying those challenges to policy makers and government will make for more relevant policies.

Staff at Prairie Harm Reduction in Saskatoon are encouraging clients to participate, and providing a computer and a quiet space for people to speak with researcher.

The project is called P5 Project YXE. P5 stands for perspectives, priorities and pathways of people with lived and living experience of substance use: informing policies.

Welcome to the P5 Project YXE!

If you would like to share your experience with addictions, click on this link: https://www.surveymonkey.ca/r/p5project