Substance Use in the Trades Documentary

Men account for 74% of overdose deaths in Canada which has become a leading cause of death across the country; men in the trades are at particular risk of experiencing substance use-related harms, including overdose. Several factors contribute to these trends, including chronic pain, toxic masculinity, and stigma, which can contribute to men being less likely to speak openly about their substance use and mental health.

A film was determined to be the best way to raise awareness of the opioid overdose/toxic drug poisoning crisis, in order to reduce the stigma toward people who use substances and to promote help-seeking among men in the trades and construction. Our team helped to determine an approach involving telling the story of 4 men in an 8-minute documentary and a series of shorts intended for social media. Supervisors, employers, and industry leaders will be invited to show the video to employees at safety meetings and other opportunities.

This project was quite important to our team and we’re thankful for the opportunity to have contributed to it. Our hope is that it will ultimately help to save lives. You can find more resources on substance use and overdose risks and prevention here.