Thursday, June 19, 2008

Keep taking the medicine / Guardian, 18 June 2008
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/jun/18/drugsandalcohol
Mary O'Hara
"The number of problem users in contact with treatment services has more than doubled in the last 10 years, from 85,000 to 195,000. Hayes says this is a clear indication that the system is working, but is far from the whole picture. Treatment centres, he insists, are also about taking the opportunity to ensure they help "as many people as they can to overcome their addiction, leave treatment and get on with their lives. But that's always been the objective of policy, so to a large extent a false division has been created. Rather more has been made of this very sharp split than it actually warrants"."