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FEATURES
6
RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!
– COVER STORY
Theo van Dam from Dutch user group LSD, Iain Cameron from Belfast User Group, Jacquie Jonston
Lynch and Eve Cameron from SHARP Liverpool, and Kevan Martin from NERAF showed how
persistence could move mountains in the way of user involvement.
8
BACK TOWORK
With employment the ‘tipping point between recovery and relapse’, DACA explained how a pilot
project opened doors for themwhile SURF explained life-transporting peer support.
9
‘CHALLENGE US!’ SAYS NTA
As well as feedback, the National Treatment Agency wants to include drug users not yet engaged in
treatment said Rosanna O’Connor.
10 USER GROUP HUB
The service user group exhibition has become a valued networking opportunity and place to
swap ideas. DDN talked to some of the participants.
12 AWARENESS, ADVOCACY, ACTION!
Dr Chris Ford and Danny Morris urged delegates to get involved in naloxone training, while
Daren Garratt and Ursula Brown gave a guide to advocacy services.
14 THE PERSONAL TOUCH
The Alliance opened discussion of the government’s proposed personalisation agenda.
REGULARS
4
NEWS ROUND-UP
: Younger service users need appropriate support, says DrugScope • 85 per cent of drinks
not labelled properly • Anthrax death toll hits double figures • Government attempts to kick underage
drinking into touch • Scottish liver disease trebles and is still rising • News in brief
8
OPINION AND COMMENT
:
Stigma, spirits and worker support
16 JOBS, COURSES, CONFERENCES, TENDERS
Editorial – Claire Brown
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1 March 2010 |
drinkanddrugsnews
| 3
European Association for
the Treatment of Addiction
F
EDERATION OF
D
RUG AND
A
LCOHOL
P
ROFESSIONALS
We were right there!
Respect and inclusivity were order of the day
Published by CJ Wellings Ltd,
Southbank House, Black Prince
Road, London SE1 7SJ
PUBLISHERS:
PARTNER ORGANISATIONS:
SUPPORTING ORGANISATIONS:
Welcome to our special issue, celebrating our recent DDN/Alliance service user involvement conference.
Right
here, right now!
felt like the right title for it, as hundreds of delegates – three quarters of them service users –
surged through the doors of Birmingham’s Holiday Inn.
It was a truly vibrant and enjoyable day. The special thing about this conference is its inclusivity – so crucial
at this politically delicate time. With a conference programme that challenged everyone from the outset with its
very different perspectives (enter Theo van Dam talking about making sure drug dealers were socially
responsible, followed by Jacquie and Eve from SHARP who were discussing the ‘recovery movement’) the
audience listened with respect to views they didn’t necessarily agree with. It might not have worked, but it did,
because the speakers reminded their audience of common goals. Recovery is about choice, said Jacquie
Johnston Lynch, and not about forcing everybody into abstinence before they are ready. Her words were a
reminder that we should never champion one group over another, but that it is our responsibility to listen to
people and protect their interests and their right to treatment – whatever form that might take.
We should savour the respect shown in that room full of people with different views – views that the push-
button voting system showed were diverse. This mutual respect doesn’t happen in some other environments,
where the recovery agenda in particular is being used as a propaganda tool to lobby politicians in waiting.
We have to take the positivity beyond one day in a conference room and use it to champion inclusivity
throughout this field. I would propose that a respect agenda goes hand in hand with any recovery agenda,
because the inspiring work going on all round the country, shared between delegates from all kinds of services
and support groups, should never be overlooked.
p6
This issue
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