The Alberta Adult Mental Health and Substance Use Survey

Click here to enrol and participate in the study

General Project Information

The Canadian Centre of Recovery Excellence (CoRE) (a provincial crown corporation of the Alberta Government) is conducting a survey among adults (ages 18+) in Alberta to collect information on the frequency of substance use, mental health conditions, wellbeing, and quality of life. The study will also collect data about what types of supports and services Albertans are using for their mental health and/or substance use concerns. Adults who consider themselves to be recovered from substance use challenges will also be asked questions about their recovery journey.

Despite economic downturns, a pandemic, and an overdose crisis, there has been limited information collected over the past 20 years on the mental health of Albertans. This research will help improve services and supports today and for future generations.

Project FAQs

    • Households across Alberta were randomly sampled. Your home was selected at random.
    • The $5 gift card is yours to keep and use, regardless of whether you participate in the survey.
    • We understand that you may have questions about whether this survey is legitimate. Your privacy and security are important to us.
    • You will never be asked to send money or provide banking, credit card, or other financial information.
    • Participation in the survey is completely voluntary.
    • You can contact our study team at info@recoveryexcellence.org or call 587-407-0050 if you have questions or would like to verify the survey before participating.
    • One adult (18 years or older) from each household can participate in the study.
    • If there is more than one adult in your household who would like to participate in the study, we invite the person who is 18 years or older and had the last birthday to complete the survey.
    • Use the Survey Code provided in your invitation letter.
    • Visit the study link or QR code to complete the survey online.
    • If you would like to complete the survey over the phone, please call the toll-free number: 1-888-313-8927.
    • Complete an online survey. The survey should take you approximately 30–40 minutes and can be completed at your own pace.
    • If you are eligible, you will be invited to complete an optional set of additional survey questions about your mental health and recovery experiences. The additional survey questions can be completed either at the same time as the main survey or later and will take approximately 15–20 minutes to complete.
    • If you are eligible, you will be invited to complete an optional short interview with research staff through video conference or by phone. The interview will be scheduled at a time convenient for you and will take about 10–20 minutes.
    • No risk of physical harm.
    • Some questions may cause emotional discomfort.
    • If distressed, support numbers are available:
    • Helps improve mental health and addiction services in Alberta.
    • You will receive a $35 EverythingCard gift card after completing the survey.
    • If you qualify and participate in the additional study components about your mental health and recovery experiences (an extra set of survey questions and/or a short interview with study staff), you will receive an additional $15.00 EverythingCard (total of $50 in Everything Cards). If you qualify and participate in both, you will receive an additional $30.00 EverythingCard (total of $65 in Everything Cards).
    • Your information will never appear in reports.
    • The final survey dataset will be anonymized and aggregated to protect participant confidentiality.
    • The Survey Code you use to enrol in the study will not be included in the final dataset. It is only used to enrol participants in the study and offer you a way to save and continue your survey at another time if needed.
    • Only designated research staff will access the final dataset.
    • Should you participate in the survey, you will be asked to provide information about your demographics (e.g., age range, sex, gender, education), frequency of substance use, mental health conditions, wellbeing, and quality of life.
    • The study will also collect data about what types of supports and services Albertans are using for their mental health and/or substance use concerns.
    • Adults who consider themselves to be recovered from a substance use concern will also be asked questions about their recovery journey.
    • Your demographic information will never be linked to you directly in the final dataset or analysis and will serve to aid analysis and group responses only.
    • Your participation is completely voluntary.
    • You may skip questions if you do not want to answer them.
    • You may stop at any time.
    • CCI Research Inc. will be administering the study on behalf of (and under supervision of) the Canadian Centre of Recovery Excellence.
    • CCI Research Inc. (CCI Resources) is a Canadian survey research firm with over 25 years of experience specializing in surveys, assessments, and evaluations. You can visit their website here: https://cci-resources.com
    • Following completion of data collection, your personal information will be replaced with a study code. The de-identified dataset will be transferred to the Canadian Centre of Recovery Excellence and be stored in a secure server location. Once the data is transferred, the research study team will keep the data for approximately 5 years.
    • Neither your individual answers nor your personal information will appear in any reports of results.
    • After you submit your survey, you will receive an email containing a redemption code and instructions on how to redeem your EverythingCard.
    • If you have questions regarding your EverythingCard, please visit https://www.everythingcard.ca/help/recipient for assistance.
Click here to enrol and participate in the study