Glossary
The words, in plain language.
Treatment has a vocabulary that assumes you already know it. You don't have to. Each term links to the page that goes deeper, with sources.
- Detox (withdrawal management)
- A short, medically supervised stay where the body gets through withdrawal safely. Manages physical risk; not treatment for the pattern itself. More →
- Residential treatment
- Living at a program for weeks or months with structured clinical and group work. Not 'more serious' than outpatient — a fit question. More →
- Outpatient / day program
- Scheduled treatment — counselling, groups, sometimes medication — while living at home and often keeping work. More →
- Sober living / supportive recovery
- Substance-free structured housing after (or instead of) a program. Housing, not clinical treatment — check how a residence is registered. More →
- Opioid agonist treatment (OAT)
- Medication such as Suboxone (buprenorphine) or methadone that treats opioid use disorder. Recovery on OAT is recovery. More →
- Rapid-access addiction clinic (RAAM)
- Walk-in or low-barrier clinics that start medication and care quickly, especially for opioids and alcohol. More →
- Concurrent disorders (dual diagnosis)
- A substance-use problem and a mental-health condition at the same time; integrated care treats both together. More →
- Publicly funded
- Services paid for by the provincial health system, accessed through intake — not billed to you, usually with a wait. More →
- Extended health / EAP
- Workplace benefits that may cover counselling caps and part of treatment; an employee assistance program covers a first block of sessions confidentially. More →
- Self-exclusion
- A voluntary ban from regulated gambling venues and sites for a period you choose; each province runs its own program. More →
- Intake
- The assessment conversation a program uses to decide fit and timing. Being reachable and current keeps your place on a list. More →
- Harm reduction
- Practices that reduce the danger of use while it continues — naloxone, drug checking, safer supply — alongside, not instead of, treatment. More →
- 12-step fellowship
- Free peer groups (AA, NA, GA, Al-Anon and others) with their own traditions. Independent of any treatment provider — and of us. More →
- Verified listing
- On our directory: a listing whose licensing record, accreditation and marketed services we reconciled against public registries. More →