'Death trap': Front-line workers warn of drug overdoses rising on and off the streets
A father's hope turned to pain in less than 24 hours after his son entered a residential drug treatment facility and fatally overdosed.
"Our son died in a place that was supposed to be safe," Ray Corbiere told The Canadian Press. His son Joshua was 25 years old.
"He was trying to change his life. He wanted to kick this addiction."
The young man died while seeking treatment at Thorpe Recovery Centre, east of Edmonton. Corbiere said he checked in just before 11 a.m. on Aug. 18 last year and by the next morning he was dead.
"He was all alone and he was my baby," said Corbiere, holding back tears.
Corbiere said he has been fighting to get answers from Thorpe about his son's death, but he has uncovered little about where the drugs came from and what happened when Joshua was found unresponsive.
"There has to be more or better help out there to get these kids through this because they deserve to live."
Thorpe did not respond to requests for comment. The Alberta government also did not respond to requests for comment and statistics related to deaths in public and private treatment facilities.
But those working on the front line said there has been an increase in overdoses — fatal and non-fatal — in these settings, as well as in homeless shelters and the streets.
Dr. Bonnie Larson, a physician and University of Calgary professor, said studies suggest between 40 and 60 per cent of individuals return to drug use after attending inpatient treatment programs for substance use.
A highly toxic drug supply, changes to social supports, decreased tolerance and pressure to abstain from using substances also increase the risk of injury or death, Larson said.
"We're corralling them into a death trap," said Larson. "You're being steeped in a tea of abstinence and you're not given any other options."
Provincial data show drug overdose deaths in Alberta hit record highs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Government statistics on overdose fatalities are months behind, with the latest showing about 1,400 deaths between January and October last year. Through her front-line work with vulnerable patients, Larson said the crisis has worsened since then.
Addictions specialist Dr. Monty Ghosh, an assistant professor at the University of Alberta and University of Calgary, said there has been a strong push for treatment agencies to provide opioid agonist therapy, which helps reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms.
With the exception of three agencies, most in Alberta provide suboxone to treat opioid disorder, Ghosh said. Some facilities provide methadone, which also helps with chronic pain.
Until recently, Ghosh said there was limited public funding available for these programs. He added many agencies are shifting away from an abstinence focus.
Jacob, who went to a treatment centre in Calgary and now lives in a recovery house, said it can be difficult to know when someone is in trouble, given the privacy of sleeping quarters or showers in those places. He said it can be too late to reverse an overdose by the time a person is found.
The Canadian Press has agreed not to publish Jacob's last name for concerns on how it could negatively affect his recovery.
David Lewry, executive director of Freedom's Path Recovery Society in Calgary, said there are often strict, and what he considers arbitrary, rules at these facilities that increase risk because residents are afraid to be kicked out.
The drug poisoning crisis has also worsened for those sleeping rough or in shelters, said Calgary outreach nurse Rachael Edwards.
She said she has responded to more overdoses on the streets recently than in her entire 14-year career.
"You go to work and you're in this hypervigilant state waiting for the call that somebody has been found dead in the bathroom," said Edwards.
Those working directly with individuals who use drugs said Alberta's focus on recovery is further stigmatizing this vulnerable population and prevents more robust supports.
Kinnon Ross, an Edmonton-based harm reduction nurse, said recovery should not mean abstinence but any step that improves someone's quality of life, whether or not they continue using substances.
"This has become a moral situation where if you're not abstinent, then you're not worthy of support and care," she said. "That is just so wrong."
Ross said expanding treatment is insufficient because people are thrust back into life as it was when a program ends.
That's why she said the government needs more supports to improve broader determinants of health, such as housing and mental health care.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 17, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Flights divert around western Iran as one report says explosions heard near Isfahan
Commercial flights began diverting their routes early Friday morning over western Iran without explanation as one semiofficial news agency in the Islamic Republic claimed there had been 'explosions' heard over the city of Isfahan. State television acknowledged 'loud noise.'
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Nearly half of China's major cities are sinking, researchers say
Nearly half of China's major cities are suffering 'moderate to severe' levels of subsidence, putting millions at risk of flooding especially as sea levels rise.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Judge says 'no evidence fully supports' murder case against Umar Zameer as jury starts deliberations
The judge presiding over the trial of a man accused of fatally running over a Toronto police officer is telling jurors the possible verdicts they may reach based on the evidence in the case.
Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
Colin Jost names one celebrity who is great at hosting 'Saturday Night Live'
Colin Jost, who co-anchors Saturday Night Live's 'Weekend Update,' revealed who he thinks is one of the best hosts on the show.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn't over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball's highest scorer Caitlin Clark's first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
'Shopaholic' author Sophie Kinsella reveals brain cancer diagnosis
Sophie Kinsella, the best-selling author behind the 'Shopaholic' book series, has revealed that she is receiving treatment for brain cancer.