UVIC WEBSITE PROVIDES ADDICTION INFORMATION

Worried that your son is hooked on crystal meth? Anxious about your
co-worker's drinking? Concerned about your own use of prescription
drugs?

A new portal created by the Centre for Addictions Research of B.C.
(CAR-BC) at UVic can help. The only one of its kind in B.C., the
substance information LINK (www.silink.ca) provides
"one-stop-shopping" for information relating to substance use.

"This new resource will assist British Columbians in responding to
issues involving problematic substance use," says Susan Brice,
Minister of State for Mental Health and Addiction Services. "Our
government is proud to support the communication and resource unit at
CAR-BC. Its mandate to provide current and accurate information will
ensure that every door is the right door for those seeking help with
their addiction."

The site is the unit's first project. "What's unique about this site
is that it assists people in different service areas--such as
teachers, counsellors, medical staff, police officers and concerned
citizens--and it covers the entire scope of addictions," says Dan
Reist, the unit director. "It's also the only source of substance use
information that is selected and developed specifically for B.C."

CAR-BC was established by an endowment from the B.C. Addictions
Foundation in the spring of 2003. Its mission is to facilitate
population health research on the understanding, prevention, and
treatment of addictions. UVic is the lead agency for this provincial
research and applications network, which includes UBC, UNBC, and SFU,
as well as government and community agencies responsible for public
policy and service delivery.

According to the recently released B.C. Ministry of Health Services
document, Every Door is the Right Door, approximately 33,000 British
Columbians have a dependence on illicit drugs.