Happy Winter Break from everyone at Teen Talk!
Breaks can be a fun time, but they may also be a stressful time. If you’re having a hard time over the winter break it’s important to talk with someone you trust. This could be a friend, family member or even your pet (they tend to be good listeners and free of judgment). If your back at school in the new year you can talk with a teacher you trust or your school counsellor as well. You can also check out one of the free resources listed below.
Phone Lines
These help lines are all free and open 24/7 including on holidays
- Klinic Crisis Line – 1-888-322-3019 or (204) 786-8686 (24 hours)
Provides counselling, support and information for people in crisis or distress. - Manitoba Suicide Prevention and Support Line – 1-877-435-7170 (24 hours)
Counseling/info for people thinking about suicide, or affected by another’s thoughts/ attempts of suicide. - Kids Help Phone – 1-800-668-6868 (24 hours)
Canada wide service providing information and support to youth. They also do online chat counselling or support by text messaging. Send the word CONNECT to 686868 to start a txt chat.
In-Person Counselling
The holidays may affect these services. We suggest calling ahead to confirm if they are open.
- Klinic on Broadway –870 Portage Ave. (204) 784-4067. Offers free drop-in counselling most days of the week
- Teen Clinic’s offer counselling services too. Check out their website to find the closest one to you.
Safer Celebrations
For some folks, this time of year may include drugs and alcohol. It’s important to think about ways to reduce the risk if we do choose to use.
Some tips to staying safer include
- Eat food
- Drink water
- Be around people you trust
- Have a safe way home or a place to crash
- Carry condoms, but also know that consent can’t really happen when someone’s drunk or high
- Know your limit
- Start small and let it kick in before deciding to take more
If you’re ever worried about yours or someone else’s drug or alcohol use then talk with someone you trust. You could talk with a school counsellor, teacher, family member, elder, etc.; essentially someone you trust. Addictions Foundation of Manitoba is a great resource that people can call if they need to talk. They are free to call from anywhere in Manitoba. Their phone number is 1-888-383-2776 or 204-944-6235. You can also check out our Resources page for more supports and info.