Resources
You don't have to figure this out alone.
If someone you love is struggling with addiction, this page is for you. Crisis lines, honest guidance, and a clear picture of how help actually works — free, no strings attached.
In Crisis Right Now?
Call one of these lines
These are free, confidential, and answered around the clock. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911 first.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
United States & Canada
Call or text 988 — free, confidential, 24/7 support for anyone in crisis or emotional distress.
Info-Santé 811
Quebec
Call 811 — 24/7 access to a nurse for health questions, including addiction and mental health concerns.
Drugs: Help and Referral
Quebec
1-800-265-2626 — free, bilingual, 24/7 helpline for anyone concerned about their own or a loved one's substance use.
Suicide Action Montréal
Montreal
1-866-277-3553 — 24/7 crisis line for people in distress, their loved ones, and anyone worried about someone.
Emergency Services
Everywhere
If someone is in immediate danger — overdose, violence, or risk of self-harm — call 911 right away.
For Families
When your loved one refuses help
This is the most painful place a family can be. Here's what actually helps — and what I've seen work, over and over.
Stop trying to force it
You cannot argue someone into recovery. The harder you push, the more they pull away. This doesn't mean giving up — it means changing the approach.
Set boundaries you can keep
Decide what you will and won't do — money, housing, covering for them — and hold the line calmly. Boundaries aren't punishment; they're what make change possible.
Get support for yourself
Families need help too. Al-Anon, family therapy, or a coach who understands addiction will keep you grounded — and a grounded family is far more effective.
Learn what actually works
Understand enabling, codependency, and the stages of change. When you stop reacting and start responding with a plan, everything shifts.
Prepare for the window
Almost everyone has a moment of willingness — after a scare, a loss, a rock bottom. Have a plan ready so when that window opens, you can act within hours, not weeks.
Consider a professional intervention
A structured, professionally guided intervention is often what breaks through when nothing else has. It's not an ambush — it's a planned, loving conversation with a clear path forward.
How Interventions Work
Not an ambush. A plan.
Forget what you've seen on TV. A real intervention is calm, prepared, and built around love — with treatment ready the moment your loved one says yes.
The first call
We talk about what's happening — the person, the substance, what's been tried. No judgment, no commitment. Just clarity on whether an intervention is the right move.
Planning with the family
We meet with everyone who will take part. Who speaks, what gets said, what happens if they say no — every detail is prepared in advance so nothing is left to chance.
Treatment arranged first
Before anyone sits down with your loved one, a treatment option is already lined up — rehab, sober living, PHP or IOP — matched to the individual, not whoever has a bed free.
The intervention
A calm, structured conversation led with compassion. The goal is never confrontation — it's clarity, love, and a door held open to help that's ready the moment they say yes.
After the yes
Transport, intake, case management, family updates — the work doesn't stop when they agree. It stops when recovery has real momentum.
Talk To Someone Who's Been There
The first conversation is free.
No pressure, no commitment. Just an honest conversation about where your family is at and what the options are.