Harm Reduction Windsor: Resources

12/30/2025

Mindfulness isn’t about clearing your mind or being calm all the time. It’s about learning how to notice what’s happening without judging yourself for it.

This workshop, Understanding Mindfulness, breaks it down in a real, accessible way —
what mindfulness actually is, why it matters, how it works in the body, and how to practice it in everyday life.

No perfection. No spiritual bypassing. Just tools you can actually use. 🤍

-

12/26/2025

The first photo was taken in October, during onboarding for my new job.

The second photo was taken in 2023, before starting Sublocade and before I stopped using fentanyl. At that time, I was hiding a lot and carrying deep shame about where I was at. It was incredibly hard to be honest and ask for help, especially being in a place I never imagined I would end up.

Cravings and withdrawals were some of the hardest things I’ve ever endured, and I hope to never feel that way again.

Without OAT (opioid agonist treatment), I don’t believe I would be fentanyl-free today.

Everyone's journey is different, so be kind.

-

12/25/2025

You’re Not Alone This Holiday Season

NORS – National Overdose Response Service
Feeling overwhelmed, using alone, or worried about overdose risk during the holidays?

NORS is here for you, judgment-free.

📞 Call or text: 1-888-688-NORS (6677)
🕐 Available 24/7, including holidays
🇨🇦 Across Canada

What NORS offers:

• Someone stays on the line with you
• Emergency services only called if you stop responding
• No pressure. No judgment. Harm-reduction focused.

You deserve to make it through the holidays safely. 🫂

-

12/24/2025

The holidays aren't jolly for everyone.

Just something to keep in mind this year, and every year.

-

12/22/2025

Naloxone (also known as Narcan®) is a medication called an “opioid antagonist” used to counter the effects of opioid overdose, for example morphine, he**in and fentanyl overdose. Specifically, naloxone is used in opioid overdoses to counteract life-threatening depression of the central nervous system and respiratory system, allowing an overdose victim to breathe normally.

Naloxone is a nonscheduled (i.e., non-addictive), prescription medication. Naloxone only works if a person has opioids in their system; the medication has no effect if opioids are absent.

Although traditionally administered by emergency response personnel, naloxone can be administered by minimally trained laypeople, which makes it ideal for treating overdose in people who have been prescribed opioid pain medication and in people who use he**in and other opioids.

Naloxone has no potential for abuse. Naloxone may be injected in the muscle, vein or under the skin or sprayed into the nose.

Naloxone that is injected comes in a lower concentration (0.4mg/1mL) than Naloxone that is sprayed up the nose (2mg/2mL). It is a temporary drug that wears off in 20-90 minutes.

12/22/2025

12/22/2025

12/22/2025

Language Matters — 2025

The words we use shape how people are treated, whether they seek care, and who is seen as deserving of safety.

When we say:
• s*x worker instead of pr******te
• STBBI-positive instead of “dirty”
• person who uses drugs instead of addict
• unhoused instead of homeless
• person living with mental illness instead of “crazy”
• criminalized substances instead of illegal lifestyle
—we reduce harm, challenge stigma, and save lives.

Language isn’t about being “politically correct.”
It’s about being accurate, human, and informed.

Stigma kills. Compassion protects.

Swipe → and let’s do better in 2026.

-

12/22/2025

If you’re using this :
You deserve warmth
You deserve safety
You deserve
Carry . Check on each other.
for systems that don’t disappear when it gets cold.

-

Winter doesn’t cause substance use... it exposes system failures.

Cold weather increases risk when people are forced to outside, alone, and without consistent support.

Warming centres help, but they are not enough.
Housing is harm reduction. Safety is harm reduction. Dignity is harm reduction.

-

Warming centres:

The Downtown Mission: 519-973-5573

The Salvation Army Windsor Centre of Hope:
519-253-7473

Homelessness & Housing Help Hub (H4):
519-253-3806

Welcome Centre Shelter for Women & Families:
519-971-7595

12/11/2025

Perspective is everything. Change the lens. Change the story.

-

12/04/2025

Last night’s meeting hit me in a way I didn’t expect. We talked about what it really means to give ourselves grace. Not as a buzzword, not as a free pass, but as a practice.

Grace is the moment you choose understanding over shame.
Grace is remembering that growth isn’t linear.
Grace is allowing yourself to be human in a world that demands perfection.
Grace is meeting yourself where you’re at, not where you think you “should” be.

For anyone navigating trauma, substance use, recovery, harm reduction, or just everyday life, here's something to keep in mind... Grace isn’t about lowering the bar. It’s about stopping the internal war long enough to breathe, reflect, and keep going with compassion instead of punishment.

We all deserve that.
You deserve that.

-