- email: enquiries@addictionni.com
- call: 02890 664434
It is estimated that alcohol misuse alone costs the NI economy £201.7 million each year, due to costs such as presenteeism and loss of productivity, absenteeism and accidents.
For over 30 years, Addiction NI has been providing support and advice on alcohol and drug misuse to employers of all sizes. Addiction NI welcomes you to join us for a seminar on creating an effective policy for your workplace, including a presentation of real examples and scenarios.
This event seeks to address the issues employers face around drug and alcohol misuse in an accessible and practical way. The advice given will provide a sound basis upon which your company can build an effective response to the problems of substance misuse. Smaller businesses may be in particular need of advice and guidance, but most organisations can expect to encounter substance misuse problems in their workforce at some time.
Addiction NI will deliver a brief presentation on the prevalence of substance misuse, development of policies, and training for managers and staff. This event aims to prompt employers and HR managers to think about how drugs and alcohol impact on health and safety at work, the working environment and employee well being, and action that can be taken to address this.
June 19 2012 8.30-10am, Crafty Devil Offices, 139-141 Holywood Road, Belfast
Coffee and networking with business owners, managers and HR professionals 8.30-9.00am
Presentation by Addiction NI/ case study 9.00-9.30am
Q&A 9.30-10.00am
Register via http://addictionniworkplace.eventbrite.com
A LARNE councillor has told of consultations in recent weeks with the families of young people at risk of self-harm or suicide because of drug abuse.
Larne Councillor, James McKeown, who proposed the motion.
Lobbying for the establishment of a counselling service for the borough, Coast Road representative James McKeown told how two members of one family had attempted to take their own lives and another case in which two young men addicted to the so-called legal high Ocean Snow had been “literally been bouncing their heads of a wall”
Proposing a motion that the council, in conjunction with the PSNI and other statutory agencies, should combine to enable a dedicated service to be set up, the Sinn Fein councillor told colleagues at their monthly meeting: “Whether we like to admit it or not, there is a drug problem in the Larne borough and we as a community have an obligation to do anything we can to do something about it.”
There was broad support in the council for the motion after it was amended, at the suggestion of Ulster Unionist councillor Mark McKinty, to task officers with undertaking an audit of all groups and agencies presently engaged in the field of substance abuse in the Larne area, before examining the potential for enhanced service provision.
Cllr McKeown said the community as a whole had “lost young people” in the past to classified drugs and legal highs and would continue to do so.
Cllr McKinty raised the prospect of an audit of existing local provision of help for addicts and families. He was aware that PAL (Preventing Addiction Larne)lacked premises.
Another charity, Addiction NI (the only group in the province that aims specifically to help alcohol and drugs-addicted older people), had plans to extend its service in the Larne area.
Danielle Ross, Fundraising & Marketing Officer for Addiction NI said, “Addiction NI has been working in Larne Borough Council for a number of years, and is fully aware of the situation the councillors are referring to. The fact that Addiction NI operates our Older Focus Service, for those over 55, shows drugs and addiction is not just a problem with local youth. We are pleased to see a council taking this issue seriously and would like to offer whatever support we can to address the issue.”
He suggested inviting all the groups and agencies to a meeting to establish what is available and then seeking to improve on it, while ensuring there was no duplication.
Full article at http://www.larnetimes.co.uk/news/councillor-calls-for-an-assessment-of-drugs-counselling-provision-in-borough-1-3822417
A jumble sale and ballot at Whitehead Presbyterian Church has raised hundreds of pounds for Addiction NI.
The event was organised by Carrickfergus College student Jordan Leigh Taylor in aid of Addiction NI, a local charity offering support for those suffering from alcohol or drug addiction.
Attended by over 100 local residents, the event raised a total of £547 and exceeded Miss Taylor’s £500 target.
“I’m fundraising for Addiction NI because I feel it’s a great cause and can change the lives of alcoholics and drug users and their families,” said Jordan Leigh, who is also a volunteer at Genesis Youth Drop In located in Whitehead. “I’d just like to thank all the local residents who came along.”
Danielle Ross, Fundraising & Marketing Officer for Addiction NI said, “Addiction NI is very grateful to Jordan Leigh for raising these funds for Addiction NI. Her event was a great success and the support of her and the local community will make a real difference to those affected by addiction and their families. Thank you.”
Some of the event's attendees at Whitehead Presbyterian Hall
On Monday the 7th of May 2012 I ran the Belfast Marathon to raise funds for AddictionNI. It is a charity very close to my heart. A close family member of mine is an alcoholic and over the years I’ve watched it rob him of his physical and mental health, job and relationships.
He has asked for help many times and we have repeatedly tried to get him enrolled in detox programmes, however they will only take people sober and in good health. I don’t think I need to explain how frustrating this is. As an alcoholic he is never sober and rarely well therefore not a suitable candidate.
Why is help for addicts in Northern Ireland so limited and difficult to access?
This is why I champion AddictionNI. I am refreshed by their approach of an open door policy.
Anyone is able to access their advice and support and I feel this is how it should be. When people are finally ready to admit that they have a problem and seek help we should make it as easy as possible for them to access treatment.
AddictionNI recognise that addiction doesn’t just affect the addict. It has a massive impact on everyone that loves and cares about them. I think it’s amazing that these people can also avail of the AddictionNI support services and I hope through fundraising like mine and yours that they can offer their help for a long time to come.
Arlene
Arlene at the Belfast City Marathon with her family
Arlene has raised over £600 pounds for Addiction NI. We hope her story will assure clients and their families that they are not alone and perhaps inspire others to support us too.
The dad of man who also almost died from liver failure and a leading Ulster addiction treatment charity have pleaded with makers of the UK’s top soaps to call time on boozing in their programmes.
Addiction NI, an alcohol and drug treatment charity, which offers a counselling service is alarmed. Director Dr Claire Armstrong said a survey found an average of 17% of screen time in UK soaps was spent with characters drinking alcohol, compared with only 6% of screen time in Australian soaps. But she said a worrying recent trend in British soaps was the huge amount of drinking which goes on in private. “Soaps use pubs as a bases for their characters to interact,” she said. “However I think there are more soap characters now shown to be drinking at home.
“That’s a concern as the idea of drinking at home during the day and during the week is perceived as more ‘normal’ and it would be interesting to see how many units of alcohol some soap characters actually drink in a week.” The Addiction NI boss also said social learning studies pointed to people modelling their behaviour on what they see around them.
She added, “Issues associated with problem drinking are addressed in some characters. In Eastenders, for example, Phil Mitchell has a drink problem but stays off drink most of the time, except for a few stressful periods. A younger character in the same soap, Lauren, has begun drinking problematically, in response to family issues.”
A survey carried out on behalf of the DrinkAware campaign by researchers who watched 6 weeks of the UK’s top soaps, Corrie, Eastenders, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks found a total of 836 drinks were consumed across the 4 shows including 188 pints of beer, 286 glasses of wine and champagne together with 84 servings of spirits.
(Excerpt taken from the Sunday Life, April 22 2012, pg, 14-15)
Dr. Claire Armstrong, the Director of Addiction NI appeared on UTV Live Tonight on Tuesday evening to discuss the uproar of residents of a County Tyrone town. Residents are uniting against dealers offering young teenagers deadly drugs for free.
Dr. Armstrong suggested that the drugs on the street of Coalisland may not be Crystal Meth as suspected by residents, but actually mephedrone. Mephedrone is still a very addictive and dangerous drug, although it is not a class A drug such as crystal meth or heroin. The confusion may be that mephedrone is commonly referred to as “meph” or “meth” so some parents could assume their children mean crystal meth which is a better known substance. Mephedrone is now an illegal drug, but other legal highs can have a crystal or powder like appearance which can make them difficult for parents to identify.
The Director of Addiction NI Dr. Claire Armstrong spoke on BBC’s TalkBack show yesterday (Monday) after a number of young children found and then played with needles in a park in East Belfast. The children were taken to hospital and Dr. Armstrong stressed that needles must be disposed of properly.
Addiction NI has an East Belfast branch and has been in the local area for over 20 years, but thankfully the number of injecting drug users at Addiction NI’s East Belfast branch is quite low compared to other centres in Northern Ireland. Dr. Armstrong said it is important to ensure there is enough provisions to manage the issue of needle exchange and prevent addiction at community level.
Dr. Armstrong stressed that people should never touch a needle and report any needles to the police or other authority immediately.
Last year around 153,000 syringes were issued in Northern Ireland.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01g4xrs/Talkback_16_04_2012/
Interview starts at 6 minutes 34 seconds
Employees from worldwide data integration and embedded telecoms specialists Asidua, outshone the competition once again as their team scooped the Addiction NI ‘Fastest Workplace Award’.
Dr. Claire Armstrong, Director of Addiction NI with the Asidua Champions
In treating over 2,000 people throughout Northern Ireland each year, Addiction NI’s mission is to provide professionally delivered treatment and support options to people affected by addiction in a way which promotes easy access, equality and inclusion.
To help raise awareness and essential supporting funds, the local charity organised the ‘Addiction NI 10K Run’, taking place along Belfast’s scenic Lagan Embankment on March 11th.
A large number of individual and corporate teams entered the Addiction NI 10K race, helping make it a extraordinary success, but it was the Asidua ‘All-Stars’ (Gerry Gribbon, John Black, Andrew McDowell, Paul Allan, David McGimpsey and John Tresadern) who left the competition in the shade as the team picked up the coveted Addiction NI ‘Fastest Workplace Award’ – posting a overall group time of out 2hrs 6mins and 57secs.
“Asidua has always placed CSR at the heart of our business operations and as such we were delighted to help support Addiction NI by entering a team into the 10K event,” said Paul Allan, team winner and Asidua CSR Committee member.
Speaking after the event, Dr. Claire Armstrong, Director of Addiction NI, commented on the ‘All-Stars’’ success: “The Addiction NI 10K Run was a great success and helped raise funds and increase awareness of Addiction NI. Asidua well deserved our ‘Fastest Workplace Award’ trophy, and I want to thank them for their support and participation.”
“Addiction NI is treating over 2000 people a year and demand continues to grow and alcohol is now the third leading cause of ill health and premature death in Northern Ireland. It is excellent to see local businesses supporting Addiction NI, their local drug and alcohol treatment charity,” continued Claire.
The Asidua ‘All-Stars’ team captain Gerry Gribbon, who came 8th in the overall individual race with a time of 39m 24secs, was pleased to collect the fastest corporate team prize: “On behalf of the team, I am honoured to accept the ‘Fastest Workplace Award’.”
Seasoned marathon runner Gerry went on to conclude that he hopes to see the Addiction NI event become a permanent fixture: “The event was very well organised and I found that it is ideally placed for anyone preparing for a spring marathon or half marathon. I hope that Addiction NI can make the event an annual fixture on the local racing calendar and in doing so continue to raise awareness and vital funds to allow them to maintain their essential addiction support services across Northern Ireland.”
The winners of the 10K Run with Addiction NI Director Dr. Claire Armstrong and Addiction NI chair, Dr. George O'Neill
The Addiction NI 10K Run took place on Sunday March 11 in Belfast’s Ormeau Park to help raise funds for Addiction NI, your local drug and alcohol treatment charity
There where plenty of spectators who came out to show support for the participants and cheer them on. Overall the event was a great success and the weather was perfect for running, mild temperature, with little wind and no rain . Lucozade supported the charity run by providing free bottles of Lucozade Sport and covering hire costs during the weekend.
The winner of the Addiction NI 10K Run was Keith Purdy (middle in blue) who completed the 10K in 34mins 7 seconds. An amazing achievement!
Addiction NI would like to thanks everyone who took part and request that participants submit their sponsorship as soon as possible! email fundraising@addictionni.com or call 02890664434 for more information.
10K winners (From left) Addiction NI Director Dr. Claire Armstrong with Isabel Potter (2nd), Letitia Meenan (1st), and Nuala Muldoon with Addiction NI Chair Dr. George O'Neill
The BBC Panorama show revealed the increasing abuse of alcohol amongst professionals and Dr. Armstrong further explains the extent of the issue in Northern Ireland.
Dr. Armstrong praised last night’s (Monday) show for raising awareness on the issue of alcohol abuse and the increasing consumption of alcohol in Northern Ireland. In one week women should not consume more than a bottle and a half of wine and men should not drink just over two bottles, but it is not unusual for many people to drink this amount in one night. This can have long term health risks such as liver disease and cancer and increases the chances of dependency on alcohol.
Dr. Armstrong and recovering alcoholic Pat explained that many local people consume more than the recommended limits, but would still not consider themselves to have a problem. The stereotypical view of the jobless and homeless alcoholic no longer applies, Pat himself explained that he maintained a family and held down a good job during his alcohol problem.
The demand for the treatment services at Addiction NI have doubled in the last five years but it is clear that there are many middle class, successful professionals who are in denial about their alcohol problem. Addiction NI urges the public to be mindful of their drinking and to be aware of the amounts they consume and to truthfully assess whether they may have a problem.
The interview can be listened to online by clicking on the link below, if you think your drinking is getting out of your control then visit our website http://addictionni.com/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b01c8cdk (Interview is at time 1.53.00)
