How this works
An honest guide, not a treatment centre.
Drug-Free Recovery exists because the people searching for this kind of help are usually reading at 3 a.m., mid-crisis, on a phone — and most of what they find is either a lecture or a sales pitch. The search itself shouldn't add shame. We start from the reframe people in recovery figured out long ago: it was never about which drug. The substance rotates; the pattern is the problem.
We are an independent educational and treatment-navigation resource, not a counselling service and not a treatment centre. Every guide is written in plain language against public clinical standards — our self-check is scored against the eleven criteria for substance use disorder that clinicians use (DSM-5), rebuilt in our own words. It is an educational screen, never a diagnosis.
Two things we say plainly because they save lives: carry naloxone — it's free at most pharmacies, no prescription — and recovery on Suboxone or methadone is real recovery. Opioid-agonist therapy is the clinical standard of care in Canada, whatever you may hear in any particular room. Your medication is between you and your prescriber.
When you ask us to connect you, we confirm the fit and make a warm introduction — with your express consent, and only to licensed providers you approve. We say plainly how we are paid: providers pay us flat marketing fees for introductions, never a share of what you spend and never per-admission. We are not an emergency service; the crisis lines on every page connect you to people who can help right now.
Editorial policy
Every guide is written in plain language by our own team and checked against current Canadian clinical guidance before publishing. Fellowship descriptions are our own words — we never republish another organization's literature or schedules. Where a placement is paid, it is labelled, and it never changes what we recommend.
How we make money
The service is free for people seeking help. When you ask us to connect you and give your consent, we introduce you to matched licensed providers, who pay us flat marketing fees for those introductions — never a share of what you spend, never per-admission. Treatment navigation is kept strictly separate from any commercial relationship.
Corrections
When we get something wrong, we say so in the open. Spot an error? Email hello@drugfreerecovery.ca and we'll review it and fix it, with a dated note where it matters.
Part of a network
Drug-Free Recovery is one of the independent recovery resources in the Rehab Near Me network, which share a single consent-gated connection service. Each site is its own resource; the shared spine is only how a consented request is safely routed.
Straight answers
Is this confidential?
Yes. You can read everything and take the self-check without an account or an email — the self-check runs entirely in your browser and nothing is stored or sent. If you choose to send a connection request, we ask for your express consent first, and your details go only to the licensed providers matched to your request. We never sell your information to data brokers or advertisers.
Does it cost anything?
Using Drug-Free Recovery is free. Much of the help itself is free too: every province funds withdrawal management and substance-use counselling, opioid-agonist therapy is covered, naloxone kits are free at most pharmacies, and peer meetings cost nothing. Private programs charge their own fees, which you confirm directly with the provider — we never quote prices on your behalf.
Can I be in recovery on Suboxone or methadone?
Yes. Opioid-agonist therapy is the clinical standard of care for opioid use disorder in Canada — it cuts overdose deaths and keeps people alive and in treatment. Fellowships take no official position on medication, though individual rooms have their own cultures. If one meeting makes your prescription a problem, that's information about the meeting, not about you.
Is the self-check a diagnosis?
No. It's an educational screen written against the eleven DSM-5 criteria clinicians use for substance use disorder — substance-agnostic, so it works whatever you're using. It can tell you whether it's worth taking seriously and where to start, but only a qualified professional can make a diagnosis. Your answers never leave the page.
We are not an emergency service. If the using has you thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988, any hour — people rebuild from exactly where you are. If it's an overdose, call 911 and give naloxone.