Recently, you may have seen an advert like the one above. It’s one of many that we’re using to promote Addaction’s new fundraising appeal.
Our aim is to turn around the lives of thousands of young people; preventing them from becoming long-term drug addicts and alcohol abusers, and improving the lives of thousands more family members and the wider community.
Building on our reputation and experience as a specialist provider of young people’s drug and alcohol treatment we will work with vulnerable young people at risk. We currently work with around 2,000 young people and we could reach many more if we had more funds.
Young people and their use of drugs and alcohol are major concerns for everyone in society. Today, teenagers who drink are drinking twice as much as their counterparts in the ‘90s. According to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (2006), alcohol use among children and young people is growing faster than the use of any other drug in the UK and the Government estimates that 20,000 young people a year become problem drug users.
At a conservative estimate, 300,000 children are growing up in families where a parent has a chronic drug problem and an estimated 1 million children are living in families where a parent is dependent on alcohol.
The consequences of this are vast: young people can develop long-lasting mental health, dependency and behavioural problems, which can leave them at risk of being excluded from school, becoming involved in anti-social behaviour, and vulnerable to the influence of older youths and gangs, as well as subsequent sexual health risks.
Money from the appeal will go directly to support young people in their local communities, and as a result:
- We will treble our services to young people affected by drug and alcohol misuse
- We will be able to set up centres that offer a range of services to young people
- We will increase the number of other organisations that we can work with - sharing our expertise to increase success.
The impact of this work will benefit three key groups:
- Fewer young people who are at risk of continuing into adult life in the grip of drugs or dangerous levels of drinking.
- Thousands of families who are affected by their children’s drug and alcohol misuse.
- Communities affected by the associated fear, crime and antisocial behaviour linked to drug and alcohol misuse.