Serenity Cafe Inc.

• 1 person in 5 in Canada (over 6 million people) will have a mental health problem during their lifetime.

• 1 in 7 Canadians aged 15 and older (about 3.5 million

people) have alcohol-related problems; 1 in 20 (about 1.5

million) have cannabis-related concerns; and some have

problems with cocaine, speed, ecstasy (and other hallucinogens), heroin and other illegal drugs.

• Mental health and substance use problems affect people of all ages, education and income levels, religions, cultures and types of jobs.

• The direct health care costs in Canada for alcohol and illicit drugs total $1.4 billion.

• 30 % of people diagnosed with a mental health disorder will also have a substance use disorder at some time in their lives. This is close to twice the rate found in people who do not have a lifetime history of a mental health disorder.

• 37 % of people diagnosed with an alcohol disorder will have a mental health disorder at some point in their lives. This is close to twice the rate found in people who do not have a lifetime history of a substance use disorder.

• 53 % of people diagnosed with a substance use disorder (other than alcohol) will also have a mental health disorder at some point in their lives. This is close to four times the rate found in people who do not have a lifetime history of a substance use disorder.

• Research shows that more than half of people with

substance use disorders have also had mental health problems, especially anxiety or depression, sometime in their lifetime

• The relationship between substance use and mental

health problems is complex. Some people with mental

health problems use substances to help themselves feel

better, but end up making the situation worse. When people have mental health problems, even limited substance use (e.g., a drink or two) can worsen the problems.

• People who have concurrent disorders often have to go to one service for mental health treatment and another place for addiction treatment. Sometimes the services are not connected at all. However, concurrent substance use and mental health problems are often related, and they affect each other. So clients have the best success when both problems are addressed at the same time, in a coordinated way.