Veterans’ Week and Remembrance Day

Today and every day, Eggshells recognizes and honours the service and sacrifice of those fallen, returned, serving members and their families.

Substance use impacts the whole family

By Sonja, Eggshells Counsellor

Substance use can have a profound impact on the entire family system. Over time, everyone in a family where addiction is present must adjust and adapt to a considerable psychological, emotional, and spiritual loss.

Family members go into survival mode

Witnessing a loved one in active addiction is a traumatic experience. When trauma becomes chronic, family members forfeit their own needs, values and guiding principles in an attempt to maintain order and balance within the family system. This reorganization is known as survival mode, and can erode a family member’s sense of self, diminish self-worth, lead to profound exhaustion and burnout, and increase the risk of stress-related disorders.

With awareness and personal healing, the coping strategies and behaviours developed to survive the trauma won’t be normalized within the family system and repeated generation after generation.

Eggshells understands and is here for YOU

At Eggshells, we recognize that our own health isn’t dependent on the wellness of those we love, and that our ability to care for others is directly connected to how well we care for ourselves.

By understanding addiction as an illness and recognizing how automatic reactions are a trauma response, family members can begin to adjust their own behaviours while reestablishing and nurturing their sense of self.

Being impacted by a loved one’s substance use does not mean giving up hope for a healthy life. You don’t have to face this journey alone, and Eggshells is here to support you!! ◙

Upcoming Eggshells Programs

Recent Events

Upcoming Events: Meet the Eggshells Team!

If you’re attending any of the following events, look for Eggshells Team Members:

• November 17-19, 2025: Issues of Substance: CCSA’s National Conference (Halifax, NS)