Photo: Contributed

Dr. Jeff Harries, left, with his award and brother, Bruce Harries.

A Penticton physician has been honoured with the creation of a new provincial award inspired by his work improving the way alcohol use disorder is perceived and treated.

On March 10, Dr. Jeff Harries was made the inaugural recipient of the Primary Care and Substance Use Trail Blazer award.

Harries spent years of his career travelling the province, talking with thousands of people including care providers, clinicians, judges, counsellors, and addictions services workers advocating for alcohol use disorder to be understood as a treatable medical condition.

His goal was to spread awareness of withdrawal medications that can be an effective complement to counselling and other addictions recovery supports, when taken temporarily.

"It's such a tremendous honour to be able to recognize Dr. Jeff Harries for his many, many contributions," said Cheyenne Johnson, executive director of the BC Centre on Substance Use, which created the award.

“His tireless leadership as a health advocate and his unwavering commitment to improving how we treat people with alcohol use disorder has inspired colleagues and impacted the lives of countless people. We thank him from the bottom of our hearts.”

Harries helped shape BCCSU provincial guidelines for patients with alcohol use disorder, and with making improvements to screening, prevention, treatment, and care.

“I admire so many people at the BCCSU,” Harries said. “They are doing so many good things that it’s a real honour to receive this award."

As the founder of the Canadian Alcohol Use Disorder Society, Dr. Harries’ work is continuing on a national scale, and his message is more important than ever. Alcohol use disorder is the most common substance use disorder in Canada, with consumption rising during COVID-19. For information, videos and resources about medical treatment options for alcohol use disorder, please visit: www.cauds.org.