Alcohol and substance use were on the agenda at a recent conference in Prince Albert. (file photo/paNOW Staff)

By Rob Mahon

Substance Abuse Seminar

Meeting on substance use in Prince Albert sells out twice

Oct 17, 2022 | 12:00 PM

With alcohol and substance abuse a prevalent issue in the Prince Albert area, local treatment experts, service providers, and concerned citizens came together to talk about new approaches to combat the issue. So many people were interested, the event was completely full on both days.

Sponsored by SGI, the Prince Albert and Area Community Alcohol Strategy Steering Committee, and Northern Alcohol Strategy, the event was called ‘Evidence-Based Approaches to Substance Use’ and covered everything from trauma-informed care to motivational healing.

“The whole idea of it was working together to address harms related to alcohol and other substances,” Karen Anthony-Burns, coordinator with the Prince Albert and Area Community Alcohol Strategy Steering Committee, said. “We had attendees that came from outside the Prince Albert area as well, and it was really exciting to see all the people there.”

With room for 120 people each day, Anthony-Burns said she was happy to see the conference completely full. Alcohol and substance abuse are problems that show up in the community on a regular basis, so the event touched on an issue she felt was important.

“Even visually, when we are out and about in the community, we can see that there are issues with that,” Anthony-Burns said. “I know certainly substance use is a problem, and if we can do anything to make our community a healthier and safer place we’re happy to be involved in that.”

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While the event was aimed mainly at professionals and service providers to understand how they can better treat people dealing with alcohol abuse, there were many people just attending as a matter of interest as well. All the people who spoke to Anthony-Burns on the way out of the session told her how positive their experience was and how happy they were the event had happened.

“I don’t know that we anticipated we would be basically sold out, to have the full roster of attendees,” Anthony-Burns said. “We had that ahead of time and that was just fantastic to see the uptake, so obviously this issue is of interest to professionals in our area and across the province.”

Anthony-Burns added the session was recorded so people from more remote locations who weren’t able to attend would be able to access it later on. She also said the level of interest in this session meant there might be more such sessions later on.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP