To celebrate the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking, initiated by the United Nations in 1987, the association Say No to Drugs Belgium (SNTD.Be) in partnership with the Foundation for a Drug Free Europe and the Foundation for a Drug Free World, held on June 23 an Information Day on Drug Prevention and Rehabilitation. The attendees were coming from different ways of life but had a common interest in the subject. Surprising relations between economic issues and dependence on addictive substances were highlighted.
After a presentation by the Belgium coordinator of the SNTD anti-drug campaign purpose, the next speaker defines the entire drug problem as it appears at European and World level.
The SNTD Chairman of France very explicitly showed how using a false advertising about drugs, groups can control and subdue, almost unwittingly, already fragile citizens.
The next three speakers from England and Holland, specialists in the field have brilliantly demonstrated the vested interests for certain groups to develop alcohol, street and prescription drug addiction.
Insisting on the broadening scale of the drug problem in Europe they presented, using the UK as a model, the surprising ins and outs of the problem for the alcohol, the development and the ease of obtaining drugs as well as for the growing amount of addictive substance prescriptions. They also proposed solutions that could protect people and alleviate the health expenses for the State.
The last presentations were dedicated to the prevention efforts made by several European national SNTD associations to protect young people from the destructive temptation of drugs. They stressed upon the efficiency of the different educative materials The Truth About Drugs they used to inform and educate on the drug dangers.
To conclude, two witnesses took the floor: a person who recovered from the hell of the street drug addiction and one from the ravages caused by alcohol. They talked about how they put their life and their family at risk and the difficulties they had to overcome and break free from the addiction. They also explained why many addicts abandon any hope of escaping from the drugs while a real hope still does exists, without drugs of substitution, and with highly encouraging success rates.
