UVIC WEBSITE PROVIDES ADDICTION RESOURCE

Anyone wanting information on substance-abuse addictions might want to
check out a new University of Victoria-based website.

The new portal, which was created by the Centre of Addictions Research
of B.C., is primarily for service providers that deal with addictions,
said Dan Reist, director of CAR-BC's communications and resource unit.

The website provides a wide range of information on substance abuse
for those who deal with issues concerning addiction, including
teachers, counsellors, medical staff and police officers.

"They will find selected news stories related to substance abuse
issues with a B.C. focus," Reist said.

The website contains a calendar of upcoming events concerned with
addiction-related issues. As well, the portal has a growing data base
consisting of indexed resources, Reist said.

"These resources are also categorized by discipline. So if you're an
individual looking for information for yourself there's a certain set
of resources that'll come up for you- If you're a professional in a
variety of disciplines you can pick what area you want," he said.

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

CAR-BC was established with an endowment from the B.C. Addictions
Foundation in spring 2003. Its mandate is to facilitate research on
the understanding, prevention and treatment of addictions.