The organisation, which has been based in Gants Hill for the last 13 years, welcomed a group of political visitors to its centre in the hope of triggering a public debate about the merits of its distinctive approach to conquering drug and alcohol misuse.
The event was held at the Drugsline Crisis & Support Line and drop-in centre in Ilford and was an opportunity for the organisation to welcome councillors from the London Borough of Redbridge and members of the council’s Drug Action Team (DAT).
Drugsline argued the case to them for greater investment of public money in its own approach to tackling the scourge of drug and alcohol misuse. In contrast to many ‘substitution’-based approaches – such as the prescription of methadone for heroin users – Drugsline advocates a method based on abstinence and counselling.
It backs this up with a programme of talks in schools and youth activity groups aimed at raising awareness of the negative aspects of drug misuse and with a counselling service on site for those suffering from drugs problems to make use of.
Rabbi Aryeh Sufrin, director of Drugsline, said: “It is important for Londoners to know that our service is open to all. We need to start tackling the serious problems drug and alcohol misuse gives rise to – and they do not end at the boundary of the local authority.”
“Winning support from political figures and from other opinion formers will be crucial if we are to achieve our ambitious targets for Drugsline and make an even bigger difference to the lives of drug users in the capital.”
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