6th October
Addaction, Britain’s biggest specialist drug and alcohol treatment charity is launching a major awareness campaign for drug and alcohol treatment in the UK today (Monday 6 October). An advertising campaign for a £10 million fundraising appeal will target head-on the perception of drug and alcohol treatment as an unfashionable and unpopular cause to support. The appeal has been launched to respond to the scale of drug and alcohol addiction among young people in the UK.
Despite the fact that drug or alcohol addiction affects almost one in five people today (1) drug and alcohol treatment receives little charitable funding from the public. The campaign, to be launched on 6 October 2008 and developed with communications agency 5th of November, will feature four real life stories under the strap line ‘Unfashionable, Not Unimportant’, with parallel digital media content online.
The UK has among the highest levels of drug use by under 18’s in Europe and teenagers who drink today consume twice as much as they did in the 1990’s (2). Addaction’s ambitious fundraising target of £10m will help tackle the serious levels of drug and alcohol misuse among young people. Programmes will support children living with drug or alcohol dependent parents, young street drinkers, young people at risk of exclusion from school and young people who drop out of support as they enter young adulthood.
Four members of the public were chosen from volunteers for their compelling stories of addiction to feature in the campaign. Models include a former heroin and crack user turned drugs worker, the five year-old son of a recovering alcoholic, an Addaction training and employment worker and Ellie*, an eleven-year-old girl living on an estate plagued by drugs and youth drinking.
Ellie’s mum Marie Stevens and her three daughters had to move away from their estate after becoming victims of violent abuse from young people involved in drugs and heavy drinking. She explains why her daughter is taking part in the campaign:
‘We want to make people aware of just what youngsters doing drugs and drink does to the innocent people who are just trying to live their lives and bring their kids up. It ruins our lives and it ruins their lives.
‘They need alternatives to roaming the streets doing drugs and drinking – this is what gives them the courage to start making trouble in the first place.’
Daniel Cater, aged five, was brought up in the chaos of alcoholism. His dad Rob, 35, started drinking heavily as a teenager and his alcoholism cost him his home, his job and his family. He says:
‘All I really remember is the constant arguing it caused. It was horrible. Our little boy got to see and hear all of it. It was an easy choice for us to make to get involved in this campaign. Through recovery my family has now been reunited and I think it’s really important other people get the same chance.’
Alan Booth, Addaction’s Director of Marketing and Public Affairs, says:
‘People don’t think of charities when they think of drug and alcohol treatment and it’s certainly not seen as a ‘sexy’ cause. We want to turn that on its head and show that our work may be difficult, gritty and unfashionable but it is deserving of people’s support.
‘Drug and alcohol addiction is at the root of many of our biggest social problems, from knife crime to family breakdown. If we want to ensure more young people don’t grow up in to a life of substance misuse then we have to act now – because they have a far better chance of regaining control of their lives at 16 than they do later in life.’
ENDS
For further information please contact Clare McNeil in the Addaction Press Office on 020 017 2866 or on 07899 068151
Notes to editors
* Names have been changed to protect identities
(1) Prof Richard Velleman, Professor of Mental Health Research, University of Bath, 2008
(2) The average amount of alcohol consumed by 11-15 year olds who have had a drink in the last seven days has doubled since 1990 from 5.3 units to 11.4 units in 2006. Source: Drug use, smoking and drinking among young people in England in 2006
Along with Spain, the UK (England and Wales) has the highest levels of cocaine use among 15-34 year olds in Europe (Source: EMCDDA)
About Addaction
- Addaction is Britain’s biggest specialist drug and alcohol treatment charity, supporting 27,000 people with drug and alcohol problems. The charity has over 70 services in England and Scotland for individuals and their families, including ten dedicated services supporting young people and their families affected by problem drug and alcohol use
- For every pound donated to Addaction, 96 pence is spent directly on providing our services
About 5th of November
- 5th of November is a new part of the EC2 Sage design group and established as a separate unit within the company late last year specifically to work on innovative creative campaigns www.5thofnovember.com