Press Releases25 Nov 08

ICAP/RISE Addictions Seminar Held at Stormont

L-R:  Frances Black; Revd John McClure; Dr Diana Patterson, OBE; Stephen Rowan; Irene Sherry; Lindsay Conway, OBE

STORMONT SEMINAR FOCUSES ON WORKING TOGETHER TO BREAK THE CYCLE OF ADDICTION

ICAP (Inter Church Addictions Project) and the RISE (Recovery in a Safe Environment) Foundation today, 25th November 2008, held an Addiction Awareness and Education Seminar in the Long Gallery at Stormont. The event brought together a wide range of people working in the field of addictions, including politicians and church representatives.

Health Minister, Michael McGimpsey MLA, opened the seminar, saying, ‘I am only too aware of the significant harms that alcohol and drug misuse causes in Northern Ireland today. Substance misuse impacts directly on individuals, but also has wider consequences for their families, their communities, and for our society as a whole.’ He added that he, ‘recognized all those in the statutory, and the community and voluntary sectors who are so committed to preventing, addressing and treating alcohol and drug misuse’.

Event organiser Irene Sherry of the Ashton Centre spoke of the seminar being ‘a step in the long journey of breaking the stigma of addiction’, while co-host of the event Frances Black explained, ‘We have come together to publicly create more awareness and education around addiction and also to support families whose loved ones are in addiction or recovery. Collaborative partnerships and opportunities to create more public awareness around addiction will play a part in helping to reduce the stigma of addiction which has affected so many families’.

The Revd John McClure of ICAP and Church of Ireland representative, who was also instrumental in bringing RISE and ICAP together to progress further collaboration, spoke of the desire to raise awareness in addictions and indeed suicide prevention and the need to develop a purpose-built centre in Northern Ireland.

Speakers at the seminar included: Frances Black (singer, addiction counsellor and CEO of RISE Foundation); Lindsay Conway, OBE (Presbyterian Church's Director of Social Service and Executive member of ICAP); Dr Diana Patterson, OBE (Consultant Psychiatrist in Addiction) and Stephen Rowen (Addiction Specialist and former Clinical Director of the Rutland Treatment Centre).

For further information relating to ICAP contact Revd John McClure on 028 9024 1640

For further information relating to the seminar and RISE, contact Frances Black at 0035387 9831617

For Media Enquiries relating to the Minister for Health and the DHSSPS document ‘New Strategic Direction for Alcohol and Drugs’ call 02890 520074

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