Matthew Bonn

Matthew Bonn has living experience with substance use and has survived many toxic drug events. His substance use has led him to being incarcerated and contracting hepatitis C, but it has also led him to getting involved with substance use health–related work.

He loves being involved in the design, delivery, evaluation and dissemination of research projects related to drug use. He is also close to finishing his first original research manuscript as a lead author on reasons for transitioning from injecting to smoking drugs.

Matthew feels motivated any time there is incremental positive change, big or small, in substance use health practices. He says that nothing in life worth having comes easily.

Matthew values having a mentor or friend to look up to for support in this field. He encourages everyone to find one, saying that some days can be challenging when providing substance use health service, so it's always good to have a buddy.
When it comes to managing grief, loss or trauma, Matthew says what works for him is taking a couple of personal days, eating good food, visiting a memorial and diving into work.

Matthew is part of the International Network on Health and Hepatitis in Substance Users, a drug culture advisor for Changemark Research and Evaluation and a harm reduction knowledge broker for CATIE. He is also a freelance writer with bylines in Filter, Policy Options, The Coast, The Blackwood Gallery, The Positive Side (CATIE), Doctors Nova Scotia and more.