NAVIGATING ALBERTA HEALTH
Navigating Alberta Health
The current entry points for addiction and mental health care across Alberta
Getting help should not require understanding the whole system first.
This page exists for one reason, to help you access publicly funded addiction and mental health care in Alberta without spending your last reserves guessing where to begin.
AHS is still familiar. Recovery Alberta now delivers most addiction and mental health care.
From the outside, that shift can feel unclear. The names changed, but the practical challenge did not. You still need to know who to call, what kind of help that line provides, and what happens after you make contact.
This guide focuses on the access points that route you into care. It is not a complete program directory. Programs, locations, hours, and intake rules change more often than the main access lines do.
Current provincial provider of addiction, mental health, and correctional health services
If you have a family doctor, start there when you can. It may be uncomfortable to say what is really happening out loud, but medically they often know you better than anyone else in the system. They can make referrals when needed and provide documentation, including medical leave notes, while you stabilize.
If you have benefits, use them. Counselling or psychology benefits often do not require a referral. If you are in acute distress, unstable, or unsure about safety, the public access points below are still the correct place to start.
Four different calls. Four different jobs.
Do not worry about choosing perfectly. Pick the closest match. Redirection is part of the system, not a failure on your part.
Overdose, severe withdrawal, psychosis, violence, or an immediate threat to life or safety.
Call emergency services 988 Suicide crisisCall or text anywhere in Canada if you are thinking about suicide or worried about someone else.
Available 24/7 1-877-303-2642 Mental health supportConfidential support, information, and referrals from Alberta mental health professionals.
Available 24/7 1-866-332-2322 Addiction supportSupport, information, and referrals for alcohol, drug, and gambling concerns.
Available 24/7For assessment, service navigation, and entry into ongoing care.
These are the regional front doors for addiction and mental health services. A self-referral is accepted through the access routes listed below.
Before you call
- Name, date of birth, and Alberta Health Care number if handy
- Your current city or town
- Main concern: addiction, mental health, or both
- Any immediate safety risk today
- Current substances and approximate last use, if relevant
- Current medications or diagnosis history, if known
It is okay if this is the first time you have said some of this out loud. You do not need to explain everything perfectly. Start where you are.
Open the closest match.
The detail below explains which line fits, what to say, and what to expect next.
Use this pathway when there is an immediate threat to life, health, or safety. This includes overdose, dangerous withdrawal, severe intoxication, psychosis, active violence, or an inability to stay safe.
Call 911 and state clearly: “This is a mental health and/or substance use crisis.” Follow the operator’s instructions.
If suicide is part of the concern but there is not an immediate physical emergency, call or text 988. If you are unsure whether the situation has crossed into immediate danger, 988 can help assess the next step.
Worried about drugs being present? Canada’s Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act provides limited legal protection for people who seek emergency help during an overdose. It can protect against simple possession charges and certain breaches related to simple possession. It is not blanket immunity for other offences. Do not let fear prevent a life-saving call.
Use the 24/7 Mental Health Helpline for support, information, and referral. Call 1-877-303-2642. For non-urgent assessment, appointments, or entry into ongoing services, use the regional intake number listed above.
“I am looking for mental health assessment and next steps. My main concern is [brief symptom or issue]. It is affecting my [work, sleep, functioning, or safety]. I live in [city or town].”
I have been on this call. I minimized, out of shame, habit, and not wanting to be seen as clearly as I actually was. It cost me. The care you receive is shaped by what you disclose. They cannot assess what they do not know.
Once there is a real person on the line, resist the instinct to soften it. Honesty is leverage here.Use this pathway when alcohol, drugs, or gambling are the primary concern. This includes active use, relapse, early sobriety, or concern about losing control.
The Addiction Helpline at 1-866-332-2322 is available 24/7 for support, information, and referrals. To enter non-urgent local services, use your regional intake number above.
If stopping alcohol, benzodiazepines, or another substance may cause dangerous withdrawal, do not rely on a general counselling appointment. Seek medical advice and use the Alberta detox guide to understand the safer options.
If mental health and substance use are both present, say that clearly. Recovery Alberta describes its services as concurrent capable, meaning staff should consider both concerns rather than force you to decide which came first.
“I am dealing with both mental health and substance use concerns. I am not sure which is driving things more right now, but together they are affecting my functioning and safety. I need assessment and next steps for both.”
If substance use feels secondary to trauma, anxiety, or another mental health concern, say so. You do not need to diagnose the relationship yourself. Intake staff need the full picture to route you appropriately.
Use this pathway when distress is high, symptoms are escalating, or you are unsure what level of care is needed, but there is no immediate threat to life or safety.
- Mental health distress: call 1-877-303-2642
- Suicide-related concern: call or text 988
- General health advice: call 811
- Community and social supports: call 211
If the risk changes while you wait or talk, say so immediately. If you call the wrong number, you have not failed. Redirection is part of the process.
You can call an access line to share concerns and ask for guidance even when the person has not initiated care. Privacy rules may limit what staff can disclose back to you, but they can still receive information and explain possible next steps.
This is one of the harder positions to be in. You may see what is happening clearly while the person you care about cannot, or is not ready to act on it.
“I am calling about someone I am concerned about. They have not made this call themselves. I am worried about their safety and I do not know the right next step. Can you help me understand what I can do from here?”
Describe what you have observed, including changes in behaviour, substance use, functioning, threats, or safety concerns. You do not need to offer a diagnosis.
If there is an active overdose, self-harm, psychosis, violence, or an inability to stay safe, call 911.
The first call may start a process, not finish one.
You may be screened, placed on a callback list, given an appointment, directed elsewhere, or asked to call again if something changes. That is not always dismissal. Intake often happens in stages.
If nothing seems to happen, or your situation worsens, call again. Write things down beforehand if it helps. Ask staff to slow down. Ask them to hold while you take notes. Persistence is often part of accessing care.
- Having thoughts of self-harm? Say it.
- Concerned for your safety from yourself or someone else? Say it.
- Feeling severely unstable or unpredictable? Say it.
- Using more than people around you know? Say it.
If this feels overwhelming, that does not mean you are doing it wrong. It means you are doing something hard and important.
You do not need the right words. You do not need to know which service fits best. You do not need to get it right on the first try. Starting is the hardest part, and if you are reading this, you have already started.
The access routes above were checked against current Alberta Health Services, Recovery Alberta, Government of Alberta, and Government of Canada information.
- Reviewed: August 2026
- Regional access: Calgary 403-943-1500; Edmonton adult 780-424-2424; Edmonton child and adolescent 825-402-6799; North, Central, and South 1-888-594-0211
- 24/7 support: Mental Health Helpline 1-877-303-2642; Addiction Helpline 1-866-332-2322; 988 Suicide Crisis Helpline; 211 Alberta; Health Link 811
- Always confirm: current hours, eligibility, location, wait time, and the next action staff want you to take
This page is practical navigation guidance, not medical, legal, or crisis assessment. Follow the current instructions given by emergency responders, health professionals, and the service you contact.
Where to Next?
Once you know which door to use, the next step is matching the level of care to what is happening now.