HOLDING HOPE CANADA

Holding Hope support is offered by Moms Stop the Harm (MSTH), a network of Canadian families impacted by substance-use related harms and deaths. MSTH advocates to change failed drug policies and provide peer support to grieving families and those with loved ones who use or have used substances.

Holding Hope Groups are peer-facilitated support groups, offered at no cost, for Canadian families and individuals whose loved ones use or have used substances.

Holding Hope provides mutual support and healing by coming together to share stories, resources  and support one another. Our groups provide the reassurance that you are not walking this journey alone. We provide a safe place to build strength and resilience for families who feel overwhelmed in supporting their loved ones.

Why DO we exist?

Many Canadians struggle with Substance Use Disorder (SUD). With the toxic supply of illicit drugs, Canada continues to see no end in sight to the drug poisoning crisis. Addiction, overdose risk, or drug poisoning can become problematic for anyone, from any walk of life and at any point in their life. Holding Hope Support Groups arose out of a need to offer support to families who are under considerable stress and strain as they support their loved ones' challenges. Our groups help families by providing a confidential space to share our mutual experiences, education, learn about local resources in your community, and offer strength and hope.

With the current broken system of care and treatment, much of the responsibility to find help for our loved ones falls on the family unit. The need for Holding Hope support groups is critical, as the magnitude of psychosocial and physical stress experienced by families is significant.

A recent study exploring the family experience of substance use and loss showed that those living with loved ones impacted by substance use reported higher levels of anxiety, financial strain, and helplessness than the bereaved, who reported less happiness and meaning in daily life (Piercy, 2021).

Our history

What began as an advocacy initiative by three concerned mothers is now a network of thousands of individuals and families across Canada.

In 2015, three Moms who lost their sons to substance use related harms found each other through news articles of their son’s stories.

In April 2016, they formed the advocacy organization Moms Stop The Harm(MSTH) to speak out about the ongoing drug poisoning crisis, and to prevent other families from experiencing the heartbreak and deep grief they knew too well.

MSTH has now grown to over 2000 members comprised of Mothers, Fathers, siblings, friends and allies. MSTH recognized that families impacted by the overdose crisis needed support as they coped with the stressful situation of caring for a loved one with addiction. In 2018, Holding Hope was started as a pilot project in Victoria, BC, Canada.

In 2020 and 2021, the provincial and federal government recognized the invaluable support that Holding Hope offers to families and individuals who have a loved one living with substance use disorder and MSTH received provincial (BC Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions) and federal (Health Canada Substance Use and Addictions Program SUAP) funding to expand this support to families throughout Canada.

MSTH understands the stigma of substance use, the lack of resources and the challenges coping with ongoing trauma that so many families face.

MSTH also offers additional support for those who have lost loved ones to substance use-related harms though HealingHeartsCanada.org

If you want to join a movement for change, OR simply learn more about about MSTH, we invite you to check out: MomsStopTheHarm.com.

Addiction is no stranger to my family. It sat at our dinner table for holiday meals and lingers in the background of our family photos. Despite pleas and promises, it has appeared at gatherings uninvited, and transformed moments of joy into occasions of stress and sadness. While it might sound senseless to personify addiction, it is indeed a living, breathing presence that can be seen, felt, and linked to emotional distress. 

– Jessica Hicks