Three out of four overdose deaths in Montreal occur at home

2023-08-31 14:22:15

Forget the cliché of the young drifter who washes up in an alley and dies of an overdose with a syringe in his arm. The current overdose carnage affects all age groups and all classes of society.

According to new data released by the Regional Public Health Department (DRSP) of Montreal, 77% of overdose deaths occur in homes and about 9% of deaths affect people who are homeless.

These figures were compiled between August 2022 and July 2023 in the territory of Montreal. In total, there were 175 deaths from suspected drug poisoning, including 138 men. Moreover, when we look more closely at the portrait, we see that the most affected age group is that of 40-59 years.

“It is important to remember that behind these figures, each piece of data represents a person with a story, a family, loved ones”, underlines the D^r Benoit Corriveau, who specializes in preventive medicine and harm reduction at the DRSP.

soothe the pain

On the occasion of International Overdose Awareness Day, the DRSP hopes to help break some taboos.

“We have to talk about it, believes the D^r Corriveau. We must take advantage of occasions like this to explain that there is often a context. There are several socio-economic factors, there may have been previous traumas. There are plenty of reasons for which one can consume psychoactive substances. »

On the side of the Quebec Association for the Promotion of the Health of People Using Drugs (AQPSUD), the general manager, Chantal Montmorency, argues that many people use drugs to soothe physical or emotional pain.

“We are talking about suffering. As a society, we have to accept that sometimes there is physical or mental suffering that requires medication and if we don’t provide people with the substance they need, they will go elsewhere and self-medicate.” , she says.

The statistical portrait drawn up by public health does not surprise him. The typical victim is not “the young punk one imagines”, she describes. In his eyes, it is much more often men from a generation that has not learned to talk about his pain and to take care of himself.

Effective supervised sites

Several additional measures must be put in place in order to stem the crisis. Public Health recommends in particular the decriminalization of the simple possession of all drugs. A position which pleases the AQPSUD.

“Consuming drugs does not mean that one is dependent and sick, she pleads. We shouldn’t be criminalized either just because we use because there are lots of legal drugs. The drug that wreaks the most havoc is alcohol and it’s everywhere! »

Among the actions to be taken in the shorter term, Public Health talks about better supporting supervised consumption services. We even want to expand the offer by opening more sites outside the central districts.

These places, managed by the community organizations Specter de rue, Dopamine, CACTUS Montréal and Anonymous, have prevented a large number of deaths. An average of 49 emergency calls are reported per month at these facilities. So many people who would not have benefited from professional support if they had been alone at home.

Last July, The Canadian Press revealed that these services are often deprived of nursing staff, which limits their ability to intervene. However, the DRSP is trying to remedy the situation.

According to the D^r Corriveau, public health also wants to develop inhalation rooms, increase the supply of drug checks, and continue the work of training staff to use naloxone, an antidote to overdoses.

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