Information about drugs and addiction
CAMH has created materials to help clients and their families, professionals and the general public learn more about addiction
and mental health issues. Our publications include helpful tips, answers to frequently-asked questions, best practices and
emerging knowledge on different topics to help increase understanding, reduce stigma and promote informed decision-making.
About Addiction
Online Self-directed Tutorials
The Mental Health and Addiction 101 series consists of a variety of quick, easy to use online tutorials for anyone who wants to learn more about mental health and addiction
topics. This series includes tutorials such as: Introduction to Addiction, Anxiety Disorders, Bipolar Disorders, Depression,
Older Adults, Posttraumatic Stress Disorders, Schizophrenia, Stages of Change, Stigma and more.

Addiction: An Information Guide
This guide was written for people who are having problems related to alcohol and other drug use, their families, and anyone
else wanting to gain a basic understanding of addiction, its treatment and management. Addiction can be hard to talk about...
We hope this guide helps you to understand what addiction is, what is thought to cause it, how it may affect your life, and
what you can do to change it. More...
NEW! Highs & Lows: Canadian Perspectives on Women and Substance Use
Highs & Lows draws on the latest theory and research to offer strategies for improving practice and developing policy to support women
with substance use problems. It includes contributions from nearly 100 experts in women's substance use including academics,
counsellors, psychiatrists, researchers, program administrators, alternative health care providers, women's health advocates
and women whose lives have been personally affected by substance use.
Alcohol
Women and Alcohol
This booklet covers such topics as the physical and psychological effects of alcohol; alcohol, pregnancy and breastfeeding;
alcohol and other drugs; stress, safe drinking, women and drinking problems; other people’s drinking; and looking for support.
Concurrent Disorders
Concurrent disorders (CD for short) generally describes a situation in which a person experiences a psychiatric disorder and
either a substance use disorder and/or a gambling disorder. For more information, please consult the Information about Concurrent Disorders section of www.camh.net.
Drinking, Drugs & Driving
Drugs

Straight Talk Series - A series written directly for people who use the drug, or are at risk of using the drug in a harmful way.
Mothers & Babies
Is It Safe for My Baby?
Information for mothers and mothers-to-be about the relative risk and safety of prescription, over-the-counter and illegal
drugs, along with alcohol, tobacco and other substances to the unborn baby when the mother is pregnant and the baby when breastfeeding.
Exposure to Psychotropic Medications and Other Substances during Pregnancy and Lactation: A Handbook for Health Care Providers
Developed through a partnership between Motherisk and CAMH
A great deal of misinformation exists about women’s use of substances during pregnancy and lactation. A health care provider’s
challenge is to know the true risks and benefits, both to the mother and to her fetus or baby, of taking versus stopping the
use of a medication or other substance. Yet the average provider is not well equipped to give the best advice to women who
are pregnant or breastfeeding and exposed to psychotropics.
LGBTTTIQ
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, Transsexual, Two-spirit, Intersex and Queer Communities
Methadone, Heroin & Opioids
Methadone Maintenance Treatment: Client Handbook
This book should answer many of the questions you may have about methadone treatment, and can help you to know what questions
you should ask your doctor, pharmacist, counsellor and others. It’s put together so that you can either dip into it, or read
it all at once, as you wish. There’s information here for those thinking about methadone treatment, for the new client and
the long-term client, and for families and friends. You can use this information to help you to understand and make decisions
about your treatment. You can use it to educate others. You can use it to help you to get well.
Older Adults
Responding to Older Adults with Substance Use, Mental Health and Gambling Challenges is for people who work with older adults in their homes, in the community and in long-term care, including personal support
workers, health care aides, meals-on-wheels and friendly visitor volunteers, and staff and supervisors at seniors' centres,
residences, apartments and nursing homes.
Parenting
Tobacco
Gambling
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Content updated:
November 10, 2008 2:00 PM