I Dare You to Drink the Vinegar

 As the death toll in North America from the opiate overdose crisis continues to rise nurses must re-think the approaches that are being used in the healthcare services that are supposed to be designed to best help youth. There are now decades of evidence that support the ineffectiveness of the 1980s ‘Just Say No’ drug strategies targeted to prevent youth from using drugs. In reflection on my nursing career, mostly in programs and services designed to provide care for people who use substances, I feel heartbroken about the slowness of change in inpatient settings.  As I near the five-year anniversary of my joining what was heralded as an innovative mental health and substance use program for youth, I also critically question the erosion of that innovation to conform to a rigid system with rigid values about youth who use substances and how to best provide care for them. Three years ago, I walked into the care team station, early for my night shift. I began my night...

Working in mental health and addictions in Vancouver is tough. I think that there are many challenges to trying to "fix" the "problem" of the downtown eastside. And I'm pretty sure the answer isn't gentrification, pushing the visibly homeless further east or pouring more and more money in to the supply side of the illegal drug trade. This is not a novel idea that I have. If you do not believe me, think about this: There are many different stores that sell high calorie, low nutritional value foods that taste great. If one store that sells these products closes down, even a big store, like Safeway, the demand for these items does not decrease. People will still want to buy junk food. You severely decrease the supply, but people will still crave junk food and will probably go out of their way to seek it out. So why wouldn't a good entreprenuer step in and provide this product for those who want it? They make money, the public gets what it wants. Everyone wi...