Leave it to the experts on drugs and alcohol

Main Category: Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs
Article Date: 17 May 2004 - 0:00 PDT

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Addictive disorders are the greatest social problem facing us today, whatever country you are from, according to Lord Mancroft, chair of the Addiction Recovery Foundation, UK.

Speaking at the first UK symposium on addictive disorders, held in London, Lord Mancroft told delegates: 'We don't want the government's suggested innovative new methods of treatment on drug and alcohol addiction. We already know what works.'

For years, the treatment field had been too small to attract funding from government, he said. The interest in this inaugural conference, which had attracted delegates from many diverse agencies around the world, demonstrated that 'the field has grown up'.

It was an incredibly important time for support services, he added, as the government had made a 'huge financial commitment' to treatment.

'The latest two policy documents from government show that they're beginning to realise that it's not a criminal justice solution that's needed, but a social care one.'

It was up to delegates to demonstrate that they offered treatment that was effective and mainstream for individuals and families.

'We need to start explaining to the world that we have a role,' he said. The profession needed to operate across all borders and realise its value to the communities it serves.

by Claire Brown
http://www.publichealthnews.com