Tackling drugs
Thursday 11 June 2009
It’s National Tackling Drugs Week. Read our interview with 18 year old Jeff and a parent.
National Tackling Drugs Week
This week is all about raising awareness for the different types of local and national projects that tackle drug use, and how they can improve the lives of people who have been affected by addiction. It's also about letting people know that there's help out there if they need it.
There are loads of activities going on around the UK - from volunteer work with drug outreach organisations to football matches. Find out more.
Young Addaction Liverpool
This organisation helps under 19s and their families who’ve had problems with drugs and alcohol.
Young Addaction Liverpool takes an active role in helping others and will often go to schools, colleges and unis.
Youth side
Jeff is an 18 year old ex-drug addict from Liverpool who started using drugs after suffering an injury that left him depressed and in hospital. “Society, media, the way young people are treated and not listened to, stress…I feel that young people find using substances as a way to cope with pressures.”
He went through many struggles, experiencing a physical and emotional "downward spiral," before going to Young Addaction Liverpool for help.
Jeff thinks the most important part of helping a person recover is understanding their situation, “(Young Addaction Liverpool) listened to me, respected me as an individual and focused on my care plan with me as opposed to doing it for me.”
In the run up to National Tackling Drugs Week, Young Addaction Liverpool held an event called ‘Know More.’ Local street dancers, poets and drama groups spent the day raising awareness about drugs whilst also entertaining people. "I took part in a spoken word live performance, did some MCing and played some music," adds Jeff.
Through the support that Jeff has been given, he's practically a changed person, “I am self confident now and I’m even attempting to build up my own business.”
Parent's side
Drug abuse not only affects the user, but the people around them too.
Claire is a parent of an ex-drug addict. “Watching my son go through this was heartbreaking. I didn't understand how bad his problem was and at one point he didn't want to be helped.” She continues, “Our relationship changed as he became aggressive. We used to be very close but then we argued a lot and didn’t get on well.”
Unlike other services that Claire contacted, Young Addaction Liverpool gave her family as much help as it could. The organisation provided a support worker who gave her family an opportunity to talk about their feelings without judgement.
Claire advises any parent who's going through the same situation to not ignore the problem - it won't just go away, “Contact a drug agency like Addaction for help and support. My son is like his old self again.”
Get involved
If you or someone you know is involved in drugs, contact Young Addaction Liverpool for more help. Or you can talk to FRANK for some confidential advice.
If you’ve got an activity going on for National Tackling Drugs Week, then you can register it on to the official website. The Home Office also gives you some information on how you could improve your project.
