People Who Use Drugs Are Real People (Durham Region)

"Opioids and Overdose Prevention" YouTube Playlist:



"Opioids and Overdose Prevention" Webpage:
https://www.durham.ca/en/health-and-wellness/drugs.aspx

This campaign builds on the "Stop Overdose BC" concept by integrating four related videos on opioids and overdose prevention, demonstrating the impact of the opioid crisis on real people in the Durham Region. The videos focus on the opioid crisis in Durham Region, finding a solution to the opioid crisis, the importance of a caring community, and the reality of the opioid crisis. They feature a mayor, police officer and chief of police, medical officer, deputy fire chief, director of mental health and addictions, registered nurse, and a couple people with lived experience. Like the original concept, the campaign posters use stock photo models; however, instead of the "drug user" identity label, this campaign chose to incorporate person-first language: "uses drugs".

2019-06

Rachel Cybulski

Hairstylist and Yoga Instructor

00:36 My addiction started in the hospital setting. With opiates, uh, your tolerance continues to go up; there’s, like, no ceiling. It’s just like, your tolerance goes up to medication, and then every stage of the healing, my pain would go up.

…

01:37 ‘cause I felt like I couldn’t talk to my friends and family about it because I couldn’t ever admit that I had an addiction, ‘cause I didn’t want my husband to leave me. That part of it was really hard.

01:35 I, um… knew a girl who could get me pills like Dilaudid or Percocet or… One time, she couldn’t find any pills for me, and she’s like, “I… have some heroin, though,” and, literally within, like, two or three months of that first time I tried heroin, I lost my job, I lost my husband, I lost my house.