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Substance Use Services

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Consult the resources below for substance use services offered in Vancouver.

Substance Use Services

Consult the resources below for substance use services offered throughout Vancouver. Sites may offer a range of services for youth/young adults aged 24 and under, adults and older adults and are welcoming spaces for lesbian, gay, bi, trans*, Two-Spirit, queer/questioning (LGTB2Q+) and Indigenous communities. These services include substance use services, withdrawal management, harm reduction, and specialized programs.

Please refer to 9-1-1 in an emergency, 8-1-1 for non-emergency information on how to access alternatives to toxic drug supply and substance use services, Alcohol & Drug Information and Referral Service at 1-800-663-1441 (toll-free in B.C.) or 604-660-9382 (in the Lower Mainland) to find resources and support. For information and to be connected to services near you, call the Access Central-Detox Referral Line at 1-866-658-1221.

Get referred to mental health and addiction services, centres, and professionals in Vancouver. Call 604-675-3700 between 7:30am-11pm, 7 days a week, including holidays.
The Lifeguard App enables users to interrupt an accidental overdose by sending an alert to the proper paramedic services. The app also connects users with relevant support services, such as a Crisis Line and Suicide Prevention Line.
Information and resources on mental health and addiction resources compiled by the City of Vancouver.
Information on the Substance Use Program at Providence which provides a range of coordinated emergency, inpatient, community, specialized diagnostic and treatment services for people with substance use issues.
Information on substance use services and opioid addiction treatment programs offered through Vancouver Coastal Health.
24-hour drop-in and referral centre for individuals seeking recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction in the Downtown Eastside and Mount Pleasant areas of Vancouver.
Provides substance use prevention services to youth and young adults who have been identified as being at-risk for problematic substance use and associated harms.

Withdrawal Services

Withdrawal management, or detox, is the process of removing toxins (drugs) from the body. There is no set time frame for detox to be completed. For some, the process will take a few hours or days. For others, it may take weeks to completely clear the body of the drug.

Generally, people with opioid addiction can go through detox as an outpatient (during the day, patients don’t have to stay overnight). Example programs include the START program, Vancouver Daytox, St Paul’s Rapid Access Addiction clinic, and Downtown Eastside Connections clinic. Treatment and medications are available after withdrawal is finished.

Overnight stays for withdrawal are available at Vancouver Detox. Everyone is offered follow-up treatment.

There are risks with “detoxing” from opioids too quickly. When people go through withdrawal management alone with no other treatment, research shows they are at a higher risk for overdose (since they have less tolerance to opioids), HIV and Hepatitis C infection and relapse to opioid use. For most people, it is safest to have a period of stabilization with medication rather than a “rapid detox”.

Provides rapid access to outpatient detox for those who need help stopping or stabilizing their substance use, or are reluctant or unable to access residential withdrawal management facilities.
Daytox is a six-week outpatient withdrawal management program for adults 19 years and older living in Vancouver. Operated by Vancouver Coastal Health.
The RAAC is designed to connect patients seeking treatment for substance use disorders with evidence-based treatment including Suboxone or methadone in order to stabilize the patient in the short term, and subsequently transfer them to a community care provider for ongoing monitoring, support and rehabilitation. Operated through St. Paul's Hospital.
Downtown Eastside (DTES) Connections is a low barrier addictions clinic serving those with opioid use disorder who may find barriers using other addictions services. This service offers rapid access to oral opioid agonist treatments and connection to other services including residential treatment programs, mental health and primary care.
Provides a 16-week abstinence-based outpatient alcohol and drug treatment program. Offers a co-ed stream open to all genders and a stream serving gay, bisexual and queer men. Trans people are welcome in both streams.
Provides inpatient specialized care to meet the needs of individuals with complex, mental illness and addiction who have not been successfully treated by other programs.

Harm Reduction and Supervised Consumption Sites

"Harm reduction is a public health approach that aims to reduce harms related to substance use. Harm reduction includes many options and approaches. It may include abstinence, or not using substances at all. Stopping all substance use isn’t required before receiving care. It meets people wherever they are in their substance use journey. Evidence shows that harm reduction does not increase or encourage substance use." -- HealthLink BC

Short document on the principles and practices of harm reduction, with links to more resources.
Website for VanCity Overdose Prevention Society, are a community driven, grassroots initiative that bring people in from the alley and provide a safe and welcoming place to use drugs.
Website for Insite, the first sanctioned supervised drug injection site in North America.
Information on needle exchange and disposal programs in Vancouver, Richmond, and Powell River. Operated by Vancouver Coastal Health.
Supervised consumption site with five booths which are monitored by staff for signs and symptoms of overdose. Operated by Vancouver Coastal Health.
Web resource with links to different drug checking services within the city of Vancouver.
A team of outreach and social workers and peer support specialists provide connections for people who have recently experienced opioid overdose and/or are at high risk for opioid overdose to substance use care and support. Serving those in Vancouver, Powell River, Whistler, Pemberton, Squamish, and the North Shore.
BCCDC's harm reduction website, providing a wide depth of information on a variety of topics, including responding to overdose, naloxone programs, and peer worker training.
A list of overdose prevention sites and supervised consumption sites in the City of Vancouver. Click the "site map" for details.

Specialized Services
Provides easy and quick access to evidence based treatments for adults over the age of 19 who are struggling with problematic substance use or concurrent mental health and substance use issues
Provides easy and quick access to evidence based treatments for adults over the age of 19 who are struggling with problematic substance use or concurrent mental health and substance use issues.
Program that provides health and social service support to pregnant women and women with infants, who are dealing with drug and alcohol issues.
Provides a peer support group in Vancouver for community members affected by the overdose crisis to get together, share experiences, and support one another.

Useful Websites

Health Link BC provides service information and contact details for different catogires of  substance use.

Access to nonjudgmental trained volunteers and staff for youth, adults and seniors to get timely phoneline help in a crisis.

Provides information on what you need to know about drug-related overdoses, how to respond to an overdose (including how and when to use Naloxone), and tips to prevent an overdose.

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