Financial and addiction counselling needed in Barrie, Ontario
August 26, 2009 10:49 AM   Subscribe

I need information on counselling services available in Barrie, Ontario.

This information is for my brother, who is 40 years old and who currently lives in Barrie, Ontario, Canada. He’s an alcoholic, and has been for a good 20 years. He also used to do drugs, though I don’t know if he still does. He can’t manage money. He and his wife (who is also an alcoholic, and who can’t manage money either) have been separated for two years. When his wife first moved out he was determined to keep the cute, inexpensive house they bought in 2001, but it has recently gone into foreclosure. He probably has other consumer debt as well, and certainly he has no savings. There's no practical necessity for his finances to be in this condition as he has a secure job with a decent income (50 to 60K), the full use of a company vehicle and no dependants or other extra expenses. For the last year he’s been involved with another woman — my family doesn’t know much about her, but our impression is she isn't all that together either.

So, I guess I’m looking for addiction and probably also financial counselling, though I suspect the cost of my brother's heavy consumption of alcohol and cigarettes are the main cause of his financial woes. And this counselling needs to be free, or nearly so, because odds are he can’t or won’t want to pay for it. I’ve never spoken to him about his problems, but the next time I get a chance to speak to him alone I want to try to encourage him to get counselling, and to have contact information ready to give him so it'll be that much easier for him to take those first steps.

Thanks.
posted by anonymous to Health & Fitness (2 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
OHIP covers some counselling when referred by a GP (as with almost all specialist treatments). Contact your local ministry office to check. Failing that, contacting CAMH will help.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 11:33 AM on August 26, 2009


Look into DART. They can direct you to resources, or other info avenues.
posted by hungrysquirrels at 1:10 PM on August 26, 2009


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