ConnexOntario is proud to be partnering with Olympic Champion Damian Warner for our 2022 Mental Health Matters Campaign to increase awareness and reduce the negative stigma around mental health and addiction issues. Damian is a professional track and field athlete and keeping his mental health in the best shape is something he takes seriously. Damian Warner is a London, based professional track and field athlete who represented Canada at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo. At the games, he set an Olympic Decathlon best in the 110m hurdles and an Olympic record in the 1500m. He made history as the first Canadian to win gold in the Decathlon and was named the Canadian Press’ Athlete of the Year after his win, which is widely regarded as the most complete medal at the Olympics. "I understand the necessity to improve mental health and that is something that ConnexOntario is tackling and I thought that it was a natural fit for us to partner together and I’m really looking forward to it." ...

Addiction is a disease. Even when we understand that, it can be difficult to talk openly about. Yet communicating effectively during this time is crucial. That’s why this article explores how to talk openly about addiction. OUR LANGUAGE When we treat addiction as the disease it is, it changes our language. We’re framing it as a health issue, showing respect to the person suffering from addiction as well as their family. Compare the language you use when talking about addiction to how you would speak about asthma (for example). You wouldn’t define a person as “asthmatic” or use it when introducing them. In your mind, they are “a person with asthma”. The same should be true for a person with “a substance use disorder”. The word “addict” perpetuates the negative stigma associated with their illness. These terms bring shame and negative judgment, instead of the support they need. When we reshape our language, it allows a person sufferin ...

It can be difficult to recognize when someone is struggling with an addiction. Even if we’re looking for the signs within ourselves, confirming or accepting that you have a problem with alcohol is not easy. This guide is designed to help you recognize an alcohol addiction. ALCOHOL ADDICTION, HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH? One of the reasons why it can be difficult to recognize that a loved one, or you yourself is struggling with an alcohol problem is because it’s easy to overlook. If you’re at a social gathering it’s natural to have a drink. Complicating matters are serving sizes, which often vary from one location to another. By looking at standard/recommended serving sizes we can help quantify what is a healthy amount of alcohol to consume. WebMD recognizes a serving of alcohol is: WINE, 5 ounces. BEER, 12 ounces. MALT LIQUOR, 8-9 ounces. FORTIFIED WINE (such as sherry), 3-4 ounces. LIQUEURS (such as Chambord, Irish Cream, or Creme de Cacao), 2-3 ounces. It’s ...