Former addicts 'should support providers'

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by Change | 2 Dec 2008

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Drug and alcohol addiction services can be helped by former victims who offer advice and guidance, a volunteer organisation states.

It is essential those who have recovered from drug addiction use their experience to help others overcome it, a charity claims.

Daniel Harry, the partnership liaison officer at the Norwich Drug and Alcohol Action Team (DAAT), claims the experience of people who formerly engaged in heroin abuse is "important" in shaping the organisation's approach, the Norwich Evening News reports.

He states: "We also consult with service users as part of our planning processes and on key strategies as they are developed."

The officer says these individuals are vital and uses the example of former substance addiction victim Tom Tomkinson, who now works with trainee doctors to educate them on how to treat those engaged in drug abuse.

Mr Tomkinson, who first smoked the opiate while in the Merchant Navy, now volunteers with a number of organisations, including the DAAT, the Trust Alcohol and Drugs Service and advisory organisation NORCAS, the news provider reveals.

After a friend nearly died from his heroin addiction, he decided to give up and filled the hole he felt was left in his life with a love of gardening, a move he claims helped him stay off the drugs.

Last month, Kevin Fine, a US lawyer who gave up his substance addiction through attending a rehabilitation programme, was elected judge for a Texan drug court.

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