On-the-land program aims to destigmatize substance use
Five-day trip lets people disconnect and take part in cultural activities while they deal with issues
A camp is set up on the land near Kuujjuaq, where participants can disconnect from substance use. (Photo provided by Elizabeth Murray / Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services)
After running three successful editions of its Nallikaaqtaka — My Choices program for people dealing with substance use issues, Nunavik’s health board is planning three more sessions this year.
A five-day program, it aims to offer a safe space where participants can get away from alcohol or drugs and be involved in traditional on-the-land activities. The most recent session ended May 29 in Kuujjuaq.
This program is for “any person who wishes to do something about their consumption,” said Elizabeth Murray, a planning, programming and research officer for substance use and addiction at the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services.
“The aim is to destigmatize it,” she said.
The on-the-land activities, mixed with traditional clinical consultations, are for people who want to stop or pause their consumption — or just get away for a while — and be accompanied while they do it.
Murray calls it a “targeted prevention program for addiction.”
The program model is used in other Indigenous communities in Canada, in this case adapted for Nunavik.
This is the third time the health board has hosted the program, following one organized in Inukjuak and the other in Kuujjuaq last summer, which served as pilot projects.
Because the program is intensive, only 12 participants can sign up at a time. In Kuujjuaq. they were accompanied by 17 other support people such as cooks, guides, interpreters, workers and some children.
All but three were Inuit.
“It is an immense privilege” to be a part of it, said Murray, who was among the support group to participate.
As workers in the field, “we come back from there motivated to pursue our work. It gives meaning to what we are doing.”
She added: “We should aim to integrate clinical practice and cultural practices together more, because it truly is a success.”
Nallikaaqtaka is based on the My Choices program that was devised at the University of Quebec in Trois-Rivières. A research team from the university is working with Indigenous communities across the province where the program is in use.
The goal is to better sustain the workers there and to perpetuate this service.
“The program is adapting to cultural practices. We are not adapting cultural practices to the program,” Murray said.
They are planning more five-day programs for later this year — one focused on youth in Kuujjuaraapik, another for adults in Kangirsuk, and a third in Kuujjuaq, specifically for men.
“It is a wish that this gets more and more magnitude,” she said of the importance of offering more help in communities.
Very nice to hear what Ms Murray has to say but all this becomes possible because of the dedicated Inuit who are there to implement the Nunami Program created by Inuit for Inuit.
Only Inuit can organize an on the land event of this kind. Shout out to the Nunami team of Inuit 👏
Can only and should only Inuit be included?
This is Nunavut. Pretending that there are no non-Inuit is part of the cultural make-up of the place.
It’s Nunavik, not Nunavut.
Know your geography before makin uniformed statements.
Addiction is color blind.
These “back to the land” shenanigans don’t work.
Go to a real detox that already exists.
Hopefully , when they are ” HEALED ” they will become pruductive people and get job and look after their kids.
Addiction may be “colour blind” as you say, but recovery programs are not. Look to AA and higher power, does that necesarrily fit in all worldviews, I don’t think so. Ask Jordin Tootoo what was the biggest success to his sobriety, he will likely answer that it was to be back on the land. There are mutliple ways to heal, and multiple ways to approach it. Being on the land will help and not help people, just like the detox you mention. You call them shenanigans, but I am sure others, including Tootoo probably wouldn’t agree.
Seen a bunch of atvs making noise tearing up the marshlands on the outskirts of Kuujjuaq. Went to go see who they were and it was a group of clients and workers from the Isuarsivik treatment centre on an outing.
The story indicates that Nallikaaqtaka has been delivered three times already, and it was successful. I wonder in what sense it is considered successful?
Is it successful from the point of view that people signed up, the people who signed up showed up, and they delivered the program to them and everyone finished happy?
Or, is it successful from the point of view that the participants -or a good portion of them- saw some positive change in their addiction? And, to what extent, and for how long?
I think these are important questions to ask about such programs. These programs are popular across Inuit Nunanga yet expensive. Many such programs have been delivered not only in Nunavik. At the same time, we have been clamoring for institutional addictions treatment – bricks and mortar. And, it seems the people that stay sober the longest, all they have to do is go to church and have faith. So, which is the best model?
It does not seem like things like alcohol abuse is decreasing. And, seeing how our on the land lifestyle is not sustainable anymore, it is not realistic to expect that addicted Inuit can expect to live in a low stress, insulated life out on the land lifestyle over the long term.
Without being too down on this style of counselling, it would be very useful to know how good these programs actually are.