Cannabis & stimulants
Support for problematic use, whether occasional or daily.
What it is
Cannabis and stimulant use (including prescription stimulants used outside how they're prescribed) become a concern less because of any single use and more because of a pattern: using to cope, needing more over time, or noticing it's started running your schedule rather than fitting into it.
Common signs
- Using to manage stress, sleep, or mood rather than by choice
- Spending significant time obtaining, using, or recovering from use
- Cutting back on other activities to make room for it
- Tolerance — needing more for the same effect
- Trouble stopping despite wanting to
Good to know
Risk varies a lot by substance, frequency, and individual circumstances — daily, high-potency cannabis use carries different risks than occasional use, for instance, and stimulant withdrawal looks very different from opioid or alcohol withdrawal.
What helps
Counselling that addresses what the substance is doing for someone (not just the substance itself) tends to work better than willpower alone. NL's addictions counselling and Doorways walk-in services are equipped to take this on without judgment.
When to seek help
If use has started running on its own schedule rather than yours, that's worth a conversation, whether or not it's reached a point you'd call “addiction.”
Services that can help
- Provincial Opioid Dependence Treatment LineSupport and navigation for people using opioids, their families, and providers.
- Take-Home Naloxone ProgramFree take-home naloxone kits (injectable and nasal) to reverse an opioid overdose. Get one with no referral from many pharmacies, public health offices, or by calling 811 to find the nearest location.
- Safe Works Access Program (SWAP) - AIDS Committee of NLFree, non-judgmental harm reduction: clean supplies, needle exchange, naloxone, and drug-checking (fentanyl/benzo) test strips, with a mail-out option for rural NL.
- The Recovery Centre19-bed provincial detox and withdrawal management centre for alcohol and other drug use, ages 16+. Self-referral — call directly, no referral required.
- Humberwood CentreLive-in treatment for alcohol, drug, and gambling addiction. Free, ages 19+. 3–4 week program for middle-to-late stage addiction.
- The Grace Centre18-room live-in treatment centre for alcohol and other substance use, 28-day program, ages 18+.
Related topics
This page is general information, not a diagnosis or medical advice. If you're in crisis, go to Get Help Now instead of reading further.