Addiction in Canada

• Effects on health

  • Sleep disturbance and fatigue
  • Appetite changes and weight fluctuation
  • Higher blood pressure and cardiovascular risk
  • Immune system impairment and more infections
  • Digestive issues and chronic pain

• Effects on mental and emotional well-being

  • Increased anxiety, mood swings, and symptoms of depression
  • Stronger cravings and impaired decision-making
  • Fatigue and trouble with concentration or memory
  • Irritability and social withdrawal

• Effects on relationships and personal life

  • Strained relationships and trust issues
  • Communication difficulties and distance from friends/family
  • Financial stress and practical burdens
  • Parenting or caregiving challenges

• Effects on work and daily functioning

  • Reduced productivity and attendance problems
  • Safety risks and more workplace errors
  • Team tensions and communication breakdowns

• Coping strategies (short list)

  • Seek professional help (therapist, addiction counselor) or use your workplace EAP
  • Build a support network; share boundaries and needs with trusted people
  • Create routines: regular sleep, meals, exercise; minimize triggers
  • Consider digital resources and groups (Panda) for psychoeducation and peer support

• When to seek urgent help

  • If you or someone else is at imminent risk of harm or experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms

• How October can help

  • Digital group sessions focused on coping, stress management, and relapse prevention
  • Self-assessments and practical, evidence-based content to support recovery and wellbeing

Economic impact of high addiction-related stress

• Productivity and labor market

  • Increased absenteeism, presenteeism, turnover, and lower overall output.

• Health care and social costs

  • Higher demand for healthcare, addiction treatment, mental health services, and disability benefits.

• Safety, crime, and public services

  • More workplace accidents, justice system involvement, and use of social services.

• Macroeconomic effects

  • Slower GDP growth, reduced labor-force participation, and higher long-term fiscal pressures.

• Canada-specific context

  • Substance-use harms cost Canadians in the tens of billions CAD annually (alcohol alone accounts for a large portion; illicit drugs add further costs). Estimates vary by year and substance.

Workplace implications and actions

• Normalize mental health conversations and provide confidential support.
• Offer accessible programs (for example, digital options like October for group sessions and assessments) focused on stress management and early intervention.
• Implement flexible work policies and supportive HR practices to reduce stress and enable treatment.
• Train managers to recognize signs and refer employees to appropriate resources.

How October can help

• Digital group sessions and assessments can support resilience, coping with stress, and early intervention for at-risk employees, complementing broader workplace mental health efforts.

• Expand access to evidence-based treatment and integrated care

  • Increase funding and remove financial barriers for addiction treatment, medications for opioid use disorder (e.g., methadone, buprenorphine), and concurrent mental health support within primary care.

• Strengthen harm reduction and overdose prevention

  • Scale up naloxone distribution, expand supervised consumption services, and ensure safer supply options where appropriate.

• Reduce stigma and promote help-seeking

  • Launch nationwide, culturally safe campaigns; involve Indigenous and marginalized communities in design and delivery; train providers to reduce bias and discrimination.

• Address social determinants and adopt trauma-informed care

  • Strengthen housing support, income protections, and access to safe child care; train services to be trauma-informed and culturally responsive.

• Invest in prevention, early intervention, and data-driven policy

  • Fund youth and family prevention programs, school-based mental health initiatives, and ongoing monitoring/evaluation to adapt strategies quickly.

• Workplace complement (optional)

  • Encourage employers to offer employee mental health and addiction support (e.g., EAPs, digital group sessions) to reduce stress and support recovery. October can provide relevant digital resources and group sessions if appropriate.

5 Ways to Lower Addiction-Related Stress in the Workplace (Canada)

• Build a stigma-free culture and clear support policies

  • Leadership commitment, anti-stigma training, confidential reporting channels, nonpunitive disclosure/relapse processes, privacy protections under PIPEDA, and duty to accommodate under human rights codes.

• Provide confidential, accessible addiction and mental health support

  • Strong Employee Assistance Program (EAP) plus referrals to specialists, clear leave/treatment accommodations, privacy protections, and scalable options like October for digital group sessions, assessments, and psychoeducation.

• Design work to reduce stress and relapse risk

  • Reasonable workloads, predictable schedules, regular breaks, flexible options, and thoughtful return-to-work planning after treatment or relapse.

• Train managers and HR to respond with care

  • Compassionate disclosure conversations, confidentiality handling, accommodation planning, relapse-aware policies, and clear pathways to support.

• Measure, learn, and adapt

  • Anonymous wellbeing surveys, track support utilization and outcomes (without compromising privacy), and iterate programs based on results.