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About us “Alfa” Charitable Trust was founded on November 3rd, 2008 in London. It is the first addictive disorder day centre in London aimed at helping immigrants from Russia and the EU - particularly from the Eastern Europe (Lithuania, Latvia, Poland) - as well as UK citizens who have been affected by the problem of addictions and often related eventualities, such as drug and alcohol abuse, homelessness, theft, violence and other offences. We started addictive disorder prevention work in the EU in 2001. The activities have included participation in annual seminars and camps along with involvement in joint preventive projects and strategic programmes with other rehabilitation communities in Lithuania, Norway, Czech Republic, USA, Germany and Russia. Some of our team members have suffered from addictive substance abuse problems in the past but, after graduating from the rehabilitation programme and obtaining relevant social work qualifications, they now use their personal experiences and proven work skills to help others escape the trap of addictions. The duration of the recovery programme is 6 months or longer. Conditions for admission to the community: · The first and key condition is the applicant’s voluntary desire to stop the use of any chemical substances or stimulants as well as motivation to begin the treatment; · Available place within the community; · Following a provisional week, a mutual agreement is signed. The recovery programme is FREE (voluntary donations are welcome). Programme participants’ anonymity is guaranteed. 1
“ALFA” 2
Hits on Alfa's website after an appearance of an article in the newspaper “TIESA” Alfa has managed to help 428 Centre attendees and has offered 1,326 consultations over the phone and through e-mail. The inquirers’ age ranged from 17 to 59 (for the period of 1.5 years). The number of enquiries increases when informational articles about Alfa‘s work appear online as well as in migrant press; 24 addicted persons sought help after the appearance of the first article about Alfa in the newspaper “TIESA”. 3
The effectiveness of rehabilitation Addiction is a complex problem which requires complex solutions. Addiction treatment consists of four stages: 1. Personal motivation for treatment; 2. Medical treatment, the detoxification of the body; 3. Long-term psychological-social rehabilitation; 4. Social and work reintegration. Psychological and social rehabilitation community is based on a voluntary agreement to change one’s life by joining a community. The group receives rehabilitation services from psychological and social services agency. The main purpose of drug rehabilitation community is to help people addicted to drugs, alcohol and psychoactive substances, and integrate them into society. Implementation of community goals approach was created through a pioneering technique of working with those addicted to narcotics and psychotropic substances. Also, the principles of DAYTOP Program (probation drug-dependent people treatment) were adapted and are used. This program was designed in the U.S. and is widely used in Germany, Latvia and other countries. The main principle of the DAYTOP program is a therapeutic community which helps to change human behavior and aids formation of healthy and sober life skills. The main objective of the DAYTOP program to achieve changes in the patient's thinking, behavior and lifestyle. DAYTOP program is enriched with 28 Day Minnesota Program. The duration of the rehabilitation treatment is 6-12 months. The goals of the psychosocial rehabilitation are to stop the use of psychoactive substances, to change the terms of use and sobriety, as far as possible to restore the patient's biological, psychological and social functions, as well as to help the addicted person integrate into the society and to improve the quality of life. 5
The concept of rehabilitation At the very core of the rehabilitation methodology is the community or the people surrounding the person with an addiction as well as their common activities aimed at changing his/her behaviour, thought patterns and lifestyle. In addition to the society’s negative attitudes towards the person with an addictive disorder, there are other issues, such as: lack or loss of their permanent place of residence, unemployment or school non-attendance, financial difficulties, and inability to adapt to the society. Addiction to psychotropic substances leads to weakened links with the immediate environment (i.e. family, relatives). In order to ensure that these socially excluded individuals achieve group rehabilitation and integration into the society, it is very important to provide not only psychological and educational services, but also social skill support, training, employment or re-qualification opportunities, as well as housing. The individual must have access to medical, psychological and social services which would allow him to be a fully functioning member of the society. The tools offered by our programme aim to address the aforementioned problems, to help the group integrate into the job market, to instil value system and appropriate social skills, to offer psychological help, and to create opportunities for the participants to seek higher societal status. 6
Activities and Goals Rehab centre community consists of people that surround and support a person with addiction and their common activities aimed at changing the person’s behaviour, thought patterns and lifestyle. A person with an addictive disorder may face various problems, such as losing a place of residence or a job, school non-attendance, financial difficulties, weakening ties with their family, etc. The key aim of the centre is helping the person to renounce the addiction, to change lifestyle and to finally re-integrate them back into society. The programme participants are involved in various social learning activities and practical tasks through which responsibility is gained. Applied methodology: - Familiarizing oneself with addiction – solution methods (group and individual activities, lectures, consultations). - Health changes – addressing different diseases and illnesses that commonly afflict persons with addictive disorders; acquiring healthy lifestyle, dietary and personal hygiene habits. - Behavioural changes – exercising communication and social skills. - Lifestyle changes – adopting daily life norms and undertakings through group and 1-to-1 activities, sport activities, planning leisure time, daytrips, introductions to new interesting people. - Family relationships – restoring familial networks, conflict management and problem resolution within relationships. - Social integration – professional qualifications and employment (English course , training for construction industry and gaining other professional skills, future career planning, help locating a new residence). 9
Activities The activities of the rehabilitation community: The success of the rehabilitation recovery process depends on the therapy programme which captures the key goals of the rehabilitation community, as well as the principles and methods through which these goals are achieved. The goals set out within the programme allow structuring the general communal activities and highlight the specific tasks that need to be undertaken by the community members. It is important for each member of the rehabilitation community to participate in its various activities, as it is precisely through these activities that the social learning takes place – the sense of responsibility is gained through various roles within the community, skills are acquired and applied, and results of one’s own actions are observed and assessed. The rehabilitation community undertakes the following activities: individual and group consultation, diverse workshops and training sessions, work therapy and professional education, cultural and leisure activities. Environment and rules: The rehabilitation community seeks to change the person’s with addiction lifestyle, behaviour and thought patterns by creating a clear structure for the life within the community and setting concrete requirements for the behaviour of each member. All of this defined by the community rules which help the member learn the behaviour which is expected in a society free from mind altering substances. Engagement with other community members and personnel: This is one of the key components of the rehabilitation community as it allows the experience of the community’s very core – its ‘commonality’. The rehabilitation community is not a group of disconnected individuals united only by the place of residence. Rather it is the key instrument of the therapy which helps to change the member’s thoughts and behaviour. This is achieved through the principles of social learning and self-help. The community encourages personal communication and engagement in joint activities with others. Social learning takes place when the community members interact as that instils positive changes of the behaviour and thoughts. The community members are taught the principles of self-help and are encouraged to take care of each other. Through interactions and exchange of opinions in everyday communication and group activities or therapies, each member of the community gains an opportunity to observe how his/her behaviour affects the other members. 11
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ALFA collaborates with the following institutions: • St. Kazimierz Parish (Tower Hamlet) • Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in the UK • New Ham Metropolitan Police • New Ham Council • Food retailer Lituanica UK Ltd is supporting the Centre by donating food products (New Ham) • Lithuanian newspapers – Tiesa and InfoZONA; Russian newspapers – Pulse UK and Angliya spreading the information about Alfa’s services among the members of Lithuanian and Russian communities (New Ham) • The Salvation Army (Detox) • DASL (Drug & Alcohol service for London) (New Ham) • Helping hands - Homeless London (New Ham) • Rehabs such as Teen Challenge UK (Ilford) and Betel (Birmingham) • Day Centers in Canning Towne,Whitechapel, Ilford and etc. • Hope UK New Ham – voluntary organisation • Alfa is a member of the following Associations: the International Association of Human Welfare, Russian Community Associationand Association of Lithuanian Rehabilitation Centers for Addictive Disorders. • The Good Shepherd Mission (Tower Hamlet) • AA-NA (Alcoholics Anonymous groups in New Ham) 17
Before/After 18
