HAY RIVER - Anyone with an alcohol or drug addiction problem in the NWT need not face it alone.

There is help available to get on the path to rehabilitation.

For one, the territorial government helps make counselling services available in every community.

"Mental health and addiction services is one of the core services that the Department of Health and Social Services delivers," said Marlene Villebrun, the department's mental health specialist on addictions.

Community counselling programs, which are supported by $6 million annually from the department, are offered through the NWT's eight health and social services authorities.

Each community has access to either a mental health addictions counsellor and/or a community wellness worker.

"If a person needs access to counselling services, a mental health addiction counsellor would travel, usually from the regional centre, to the community on a regular basis and provide counselling services that way," Villebrun said.

The counsellors and the wellness workers offer help and information on such things as alcohol and drug abuse, problem gambling and smoking.

The mental health addictions counsellors provide referral for residential treatment and after-care support, Villebrun added.

"So once people return to the community from a residential treatment program, they would work with the counsellor in the community to ensure that they are able to meet their recovery goals successfully."

In those cases, they would possibly be returning from Nats'ejee K'eh Treatment Centre on the Hay River Reserve.

"We offer at the Nats'ejee K'eh Treatment Centre programs for both men and women, adults from 18 years and over, for addiction and mental health issues," said executive director Kristine Vannebo-Suwala. "We service the whole of the Northwest Territories, as well as Nunavut and northern Alberta."

During a 28-day stay at the centre, clients are treated in a holistic way, which includes therapy and counselling, cultural awareness, and a focus on physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.

"As for rehabilitation, we look at trying to help our clients return to a balanced life," said Vannebo-Suwala.

She believes addictions are a lot more widespread in the NWT than people realize.

"I think that alcohol is still prevailing as the drug of choice in the NWT," she said.

However, she noted people are also seeking treatment for cocaine and crack cocaine, and an increasing number are having problems with legal sedative medications for sleeping.

"There are a few clients that we've helped to remove that from their life," she said.

Sometimes alcohol and drug abuse may contribute to people ending up in the NWT's correctional facilities.

Scott Mills, program implementation manager with Corrections Service of the Department of Justice, said alcohol and drugs are a very common factor in criminal behaviour.

"Drugs and alcohol is a huge issue for the inmates at the custodial facilities," he said.

Mills said Corrections Service takes a holistic approach to dealing with the issue.

For example, inmates can attend a camp in the Sahtu to discuss drugs and alcohol with elders and counsellors.

At the South Mackenzie Correctional Centre in Hay River, inmates are offered a pre-treatment healing program for alcohol and drug addiction, Mills said.

"They discuss the impact it has on inmates' lives and the lives of their loved ones."

Other facilities also have substance abuse programs, and alcohol and drug counsellors on staff.

In some locations in the NWT, there are also community-based efforts to combat alcohol and drug addiction, such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous.

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