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NTA chief calls for balanced drug treatment

Drug users should not be offered a false choice between harm reduction or abstinence-oriented treatment services, according to Paul Hayes, the NTA Chief Executive.
In a keynote speech at the Drugs, Alcohol and Criminal Justice conference at Warwick University on Friday 18 July, he called for drug treatment services to do more to give users real choices in treatment, matched to their need.

His comments follow the results of the joint Healthcare Commission/NTA improvement review which showed unacceptable variations in the provision and quality of current harm reduction services.

"The NTA is committed to ensuring there is a balanced range of treatment available to meet the different needs of drug users at different points in their treatment journey," said Mr Hayes.

"Just as harm reduction services are vital if drug users are not to suffer avoidable illness and death, so users in treatment need to be given options to move through the treatment system so that eventually they can become abstinent.

"Those who claim that the goal of drug treatment is either harm reduction or abstinence are offering society and service users a false choice. Both have a vital role to play in the spectrum of drug treatment.

"However in order to offer drug users high quality and effective services of any description, we need to raise our game."
Following the recent publication of a Government action plan on reducing drug-related harm, the NTA is planning a national campaign in the autumn to raise awareness of the risks associated with drug use, and highlight ways in which these can be mitigated.

Article originally published on 29/07/2008 by DryOutNow.com, the alcohol specific website for Addiction Advisor

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