New scheme launched to tackle substance abuse

Edinburgh City Council is set to wage war on the anti-social culture of alcohol and drugs, thanks to a new strategy released by the Edinburgh Alcohol and Drug Partnership (EADP).

The five-year-strategy is not only aimed at preventing young people from becoming addicted (what they call 'a fact of life' in Edinburgh) but also at helping those who have already succumbed.

Nick Smith, Joint Programme Manager of EADP, said: "Substance misuse affects many people across Edinburgh. For some this is direct and personal, whilst for others the effects can be more general.

“The new strategy will enable organisations to have a common approach to addressing the problems caused by alcohol and drugs. With recovery at the heart of the new strategy, we hope it will make a real difference to the lives of many people in Edinburgh."

With £6 million to invest over the course of the scheme, the group are looking to help individuals, families and communities to overcome the misuse of alcohol and drugs, placing an emphasis on sustained recovery.

The government-funded branch of Edinburgh Council is determined that this scheme will lay the foundations for many of Edinburgh’s forgotten people to claim back their lives.

Caroline Hillen, a 45 year old woman whose addiction to heroin was the last step in a long line of addictions that had begun with slimming tablets at the age of twelve. "I struggled with an overwhelming sense of not knowing who I was", she said, "being completely drug free can cause heightened senses, so everyday experiences become distressing because they feel so intense.

"I thought I was going mad and felt lonely - I had plans and hopes, but I was so overwhelmed with misery that I couldn't get off the couch and just sat, day after day, with my head in my hands. It felt so bad at times I often wondered whether or not giving up drugs was worth it."

She was referred to the project in July 2010 and her life has been improved significantly through the consequences of her treatment.

At the project’s launch earlier this month, Ms Hillen made a statement which described her treatment and the difference it has made to her life: “It's like my brain's now a sponge desperate to learn stuff - I've got confidence and self-esteem when I had none before. I finally see a future for myself.”