Why it matters

The wait

Detox lasts three to five days. Then the wait for a treatment bed begins. In Ontario it has averaged weeks, and often months.

People leaving detox are usually homeless or close to it. With nowhere else to go, most go back to where they were. Many return to use before a bed opens. Some die.

What we have seen

Our founder has seen an extremely high rate of return to use among the people he has personally supported through this wait. That is a frontline observation, not yet a validated Kingston statistic. One purpose of this project is to measure it.

What the research says

Published research shows the period right after detox is high-risk.

• In one study of 109 people leaving inpatient opioid detox, 91% relapsed, and 59% did so within the first week. People who did not enter planned aftercare relapsed sooner. (Smyth and others, 2010)
• Returning to use after detox carries a high risk of fatal overdose, because tolerance is lost. (Strang and others, 2003)
• Few people move straight from detox into treatment. (Timko and others, 2015)
• Ontario's average wait for residential addiction treatment was 50 days in 2018-19. More than half of programs had waits over 30 days. The Auditor General reported that people died while waiting. (Auditor General of Ontario, 2019)
• People supported by a recovery navigator after detox were more likely to continue into care: 45% compared with 38%. (Lee and others, 2020)
• A review of peer recovery support found it linked to less substance use, longer time in treatment and better connections with services, while noting the evidence is still mixed. (Eddie and others, 2019)

Some of these studies are small, older, or from outside Canada. That is why we are keeping our own records.

The picture in Kingston

• Kingston's detox centre recorded about 1,200 admissions from more than 760 people in the year to December 2025. Its capacity is expected to rise about 20%. (Kingston Health Sciences Centre, December 2025)
• The stabilization program at 206 Concession Street, run by Addiction and Mental Health Services, has 18 beds. (City of Kingston)
• Kingston's residential treatment program for men has 18 beds and an average wait of about 12 weeks. (Caredove listing, checked 6 October 2026)

Facts checked 6 November 2026.

We are measuring it here

From December 2026, with each person's consent, we record what happens to the people we support. When they left detox. When they entered treatment. Where they were living at each step. Whether their ID and income were recovered.

Those are Kingston's own numbers. We will publish summaries here, with no one identifiable.