CCSA’s Issues of Substance Conference

Call for Personal Experience Abstract Submissions

CCSA is pleased to open the call for submissions for the Issues of Substance 2025 conference. Our conference acknowledges that all voices should have a platform to share knowledge and experience. With this in mind, we welcome abstracts for presentations based on personal experience of substance use. 

Note: If you’re interested in submitting an abstract for a presentation on research, programs or policies related to substance use, please refer to Call for Research, Policy and Programs Abstracts. 
 

Application Limits

CCSA will accept no more than two abstracts per applicant, with them listed as a primary presenter.
 

Submission Deadline

Submit your personal experience abstract by Monday, January 27, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET.
 

Guidelines for Personal Experience Presentations

For help with your presentation, we invite you to consult our How to Tell a Story Safely resource.
 

Presentation Formats

We encourage different formats of presentation, such as posters, artwork (e.g., poetry, music, drawings, paintings), storytelling or other types of oral presentation.
 

Presentation Topics

The conference audience will include healthcare professionals, researchers, policy makers, people with lived and living experience with substance use and many other people. Keep the audience in mind when planning your presentation. 

Your presentation topic should be relevant to substance use and it should be delivered clearly to the audience so that everyone can learn from you. 

Example topics: 

  • How substance use healthcare professionals can improve their work and how they can better understand people with lived and living experience of substance use disorder.
  • The pros and cons of your experience with substance use.
  • Your substance use disorder recovery journey.
  • The challenges and successes of providing support to people who use substances.
  • The use and impact of different types of drugs.
  • Substance use and how it relates to mental health.
  • Stigma and discrimination.
  • Experiences of meaningful involvement in research or policy making.
  • Alternative or new approaches to providing support to people who use substances.
  • Alternative recovery stories and practices.
     

How to Submit Your Personal Experience Abstract

Submit your abstract using the CCSA personal experience portal. Upon successful submission, you will receive a confirmation email from CCSA.
 

Additional Information

All information on the submission process and requirements, the evaluation criteria, the acceptance procedure and how to obtain subsidies (if you qualify), can be found in the Call for Submissions document. 
 

Contact Us for Assistance

If you need help with your submission, email ios-info@ccsa.ca or call 1-833-235-4048 to connect with a CCSA representative.

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