treatment
Addaction redoubles
commitment to
tackling stigma
We are determined to deal with the scourge that is
stigma,’ said Lord Carlile at Addaction’s 50th birthday
event at the House of Lords. New drugs minister Victoria
Atkins, under secretary of state for crime, safeguarding
and vulnerability, said that stigma was an obstacle to
recovery and gave her commitment to exploring options
for protecting public health funding for drug and alcohol
treatment.
‘I got to the point where I accepted stigma – I was a drain on society,’ said Les, an
Addaction volunteer from Weston-super-Mare. ‘I started to believe I was a thief and
a junkie – I started to accept it in the end. People focus on failures – they don’t focus
on people who actually make it. Addaction has given me a purpose in life. We judge
people for their behaviour and we don’t look underneath. To judge them compounds
the shame.’
‘Going into the service building was when my stigma started,’ said Hayley from
Wigan, who had to let her ex-partner take custody of their young daughter because
of her problem drinking. ‘I felt judged going in, and this made me eventually drop
out of the service. But then Addaction adapted to me and I had home visits. I’ve been
stigmatised at my daughter’s school by staff and other parents, but Addaction made
me a recovery champion and really helped me.’
‘We want to confront stigma head-on and this means educating the public to
increase empathy and understanding for those tackling drugs, alcohol and mental
health issues,’ said Addaction CEO Mike Dixon. ‘By challenging stigma, we believe
more people will come forward for support and more people will recover and reach
their potential.’
Top: Minister Sajid Javid
with Addaction CEO Mike
Dixon, Chair of trustees
Lord Carlile, Karen Tyrell
and Alice Dyke.
Middle: Kate Slater of
Addaction North East with
Mary Glindon MP.
Right: Victoria Atkins MP
Winners help
transform lives
in recovery
Harry Shapiro, DrugWise director (right), was among prize-winners
of the Marsh Volunteer Awards, presented by Addaction and the
Marsh Christian Trust. The awards recognise those who have
helped transform the lives of people in recovery, and his prize for
media recognised his articles, lectures and national media
interviews representing the views of alcohol and drug users and
challenging stigma.
‘Harry is hugely knowledgeable and presents his information
and evidence in a skilled non-judgemental way, acting as an
advocate for service users and their family and friends,’ said Jon
Murray, Addaction’s community engagement and
implementations lead, who handed out the prizes to winners.
The regional award winners are Tommy Allan, Joanne Taylor, Sue
Peoples, Bryony Homewood and Carole Cliffe, and recovery award
winners are Lynsey McKenzie, Leanne Gillon and Harry Shapiro.
www.drinkanddrugsnews.com
December/January 2018 | drinkanddrugsnews | 15