Immigrants Also Need Help Battling Addictive Behavior, Calgary Association Says

People with addictive personalities are prone to be attracted to various activities and often times substances trying to fill a void inside them. In this sense, mental health programs strive to offer them the support they need and the strength to carry on. Calgary Women’s Immigrant Association highlights the various mental health issues newcomers could experience once they set foot in Canada.

When it comes to addictive personalities, there are people that are determined to maintain their poison of choice a secret for everyone around them. Whether this is food addiction, substance use, or gambling in all its forms, people often turn to such activities as a coping mechanism. In the instance of immigrants when the pressure of a whole new world and community is even bigger, many people go down a dark road.

Mental Health Issues Need Timely Attention

Calgary individuals that experience issues with their mental health or unhealthy relationship to a given activity have the opportunity to seek professional help that is much-needed in such trying times. Even though they might find it redundant and consider it a small issue, addiction of any kind could have a devastating impact on their personal and professional life in Canada.

The Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association is seeking additional funding for its operation that would guarantee its future success in Alberta. It has the potential to help thousands of locals that have just made their way to Canada. The mental health program saw its first days in January this year and this was made possible with the help of a grant offered by the City of Calgary.

It amounted to some CA$114,000 and spanned over a one-year period. Its levels of success over the past few months have proved that there is a real need for such program, as an increasing number of individuals seek support and guidance in such times. The association would like to continue offering its expertise to the people in need of support and this could happen via additional funding.

More Calgary Immigrants Seek Help

People that arrive in Canada have many things on their mind, the main one being whether or not they are going to integrate successfully. The culture shock in addition to the brand new environment with many new responsibilities could be a tough time that triggers irresponsible gambling behavior. Individuals also seek a better life, so jackpot winnings could be perceived as a way to guarantee such.

Alcohol addiction has also been a major issue many patients face on a daily basis and the program has succeeded in helping many of them with this problem as well. It should also be taken into account that depending on their upbringing and the communities they have been raised in, many of the people seeking help find it a shameful act on its own.

They have to come to terms that it is not a sign of weakness but instead the best thing they could do. Some 20 percent of the Canadians are immigrants and this comes to show just how important it is for them to feel included and appreciated. The program is also willing to refer people to other organizations that could offer them more adequate help depending on their issues.