Newsletter SeptemberStepping Stones Recovery Trust and the development of the New Zealand Retreat are proceeding in a positive direction. Given the difficulty of creating a new way to treat addiction in New Zealand was always going to be difficult with the attitude in this country towards addictive disease our headway continues to enthuse this highly skilled volunteer board of dedicated people. All the "press" around addicts and alcoholics is bad “press” and therefore most observers say “let the alcoholic/addict deal with it themselves” Most blame the addict alcoholic for all the anti social behavior that is all too often displayed in our media. As specialists in this field we are aware that addictive disease (addiction to alcohol and other drugs) is a no fault illness. It is easily diagnosed and eminently treatable. Cost of treatment pales into insignificance compared with treatment for other major chronic diseases. It is also clear given even Government’s own statistics that every person in this country is directly affected by addiction. Most people know somebody in trouble through alcohol or other drugs overuse. The often quoted NZ Government figure of 650,000 addicts alcoholics x 5 people directly affected gives us a number greater than New Zealand’s population of approx 4m!! New Zealand as a whole either does not know these facts, does not want to know or does not believe them. We do not find fault with this view as it was the norm originally worldwide. We believe that until it is a widely held view that addiction is a disease and can be treated as is the case in the USA and more and more in the UK and Western Europe it will always be difficult to attract the support necessary to get started on a way that will have an obvious positive effect on New Zealand’s epidemic of addictive disease. As this is a chronic disease (meaning that it is progressive and will not go away) not only in the individual but in the culture things are getting decidedly worse and will continue to do so. The programmes that are in place are having very little effect. These continue to be funded by the government and various trusts but NONE of them have independent outcome studies available to the public or to prospective referent’s showing the effectiveness of their treatment or otherwise. There is a great big question mark as to why this is the case? We can only surmise!! On the other hand The Retreat Model has had outcome studies showing a success rate equal to any treatment in the World since it was developed 10 years ago! The only organization that does have some measure of success in NZ is the twelve step self help movement and any treatment based upon principles utilized by these fellowships. Several of our board were participants in the Law Commission’s submission to the government but little of the need to educate and establish effective evidence based treatment that we strongly suggested can be seen in the 135 pages of the submission and furthermore the Government have seen fit to overlook the two most important factors in the report, education on a national scale and many more treatment beds in the right direction. Treatment is mentioned as a need but has been overlooked by the Government. Nowhere does the report place emphasis upon the fact that we are dealing with a disease. Our board has much international experience in the field of addiction treatment and is qualified to give this view. But who bothers to listen?? Our Chairman Dr Bob Myers has written a very clear view on the cost to the nation using his skills as an economist of long standing at the World Bank (click on "Introduction") It makes it difficult when we try to encourage funding even though what we propose is very affordable for most families and will become self funding before very long. There is a hesitancy in New Zealand to embrace proven and good ideas established overseas.This is to the detriment of thousands of New Zealand families. We cannot understand it; the cost is negligible, the results are proven !!!! Something cockeyed somewhere!! Currently we are working with the Housing New Zealand Corporation (HNZC) of who have indicated a willingness to help by providing a suitable property in Auckland at a reasonable rent to help us off the ground. We have letters of support from Auckland Mayor Hon John Banks, eminent pedrietrition Dr Stuart Fergusson and local businessman Christopher Horton to the HNZC so we are hoping that soon the suitable property will be in hand. Our new director Bill O’Connell is a property man who works for real estate firm Harcourt’s has also worked closely with the HNZC so this is a bonus. John Curtiss CEO and developer of The Retreat, Wayzata USA believes we should be starting with more than 10 beds. He says that 10 beds will not sustain the staff needed for 10 as there will not be any increase required in staff numbers if we have 20 beds. Cassie Aster has lent her great expertise in setting up our new website www.theretreatnz.org.nz She has cut and pasted much of the old site that Dr Bob Myers has been instrumental in developing and we will hope to have it in a very presentable state by the beginning of October next. We are employing the services of Amabir Singh to help Cassie upload all the data. We have held a momentary halt to active fundraising until we have a property we can offer. Board members have presented new ideas for fundraising being considered now.
Roger Green 30 August 2010 FIN |
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