The Trumpet Newspaper Issue 624 (May 29 - June 11 2024)
South Africans go to the polls to choose a new government: what's different this time
South Africans go to the polls to choose a new government: what's different this time
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MAY <strong>29</strong> - JUNE <strong>11</strong> <strong>2024</strong><br />
<strong>The</strong><strong>Trumpet</strong><br />
Page7<br />
Produced in Association with HM Government<br />
It’s never too late to tackle addiction<br />
If you or someone you know is having issues<br />
with drugs or alcohol, there are lots of ways<br />
to access free & confidential advice and<br />
support from local experts<br />
Drug and alcohol problems<br />
can affect anyone, with<br />
many people keeping it a<br />
secret, adding pressure to holding<br />
down a job and juggling family<br />
life. This can have a serious<br />
impact on the people around you,<br />
including those you love.<br />
Whether you’ve become<br />
dependent on drugs and alcohol,<br />
or just find it difficult to control<br />
your use, it can be difficult to<br />
acknowledge and talk about what<br />
is happening.<br />
But it’s important to remember<br />
that effective, confidential, and<br />
non-judgemental help is available<br />
for anyone who feels they, or<br />
anyone they know, struggles with<br />
alcohol or drugs. Support is also<br />
available for families affected by a<br />
loved one’s alcohol and drug<br />
use.<strong>The</strong> government is investing<br />
additional funding to improve the<br />
capacity and quality of treatment.<br />
This means that there will be<br />
more help available in your local<br />
area so you can get the help you<br />
need quicker and the help you<br />
receive will be better, including<br />
from better-trained staff who can<br />
spend longer with each person.<br />
“You’ve got to<br />
do it for yourself,<br />
or nothing is<br />
going to change”<br />
*Aleena (name changed for<br />
privacy), 37, has lived through<br />
some challenging times. Her<br />
father was killed in a road<br />
accident when she was <strong>11</strong> years<br />
old, triggering her to go “off the<br />
rails” as she went into a spiral of<br />
drug and alcohol use.<br />
When she became pregnant in<br />
late 2020, she reached a crisis<br />
point and approached her local<br />
drug and alcohol treatment<br />
provider for support.<br />
“When I was pregnant, I<br />
thought enough is enough, and<br />
became determined to change my<br />
ways and surroundings. <strong>The</strong><br />
penny had dropped,” says<br />
*Aleena.<br />
“I was a mess when I walked<br />
into drug and alcohol support<br />
services and now, I’m more<br />
confident and have my selfesteem<br />
back. I don’t have cravings<br />
and I’ve got the willpower to carry<br />
on.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> talking support groups<br />
are intense, but they have got to be<br />
intense to work. It opens your<br />
eyes to a lot of stuff - especially<br />
what you thought was normality.<br />
“I told my life story over six<br />
months, from childhood to now.<br />
You’re encouraged to open up to<br />
your key worker and once it is off<br />
your chest, you can put it in a box<br />
and forget about it.<br />
“I can’t thank my service<br />
provider enough. My key workers<br />
took the time to sit down with me<br />
and make me feel a lot better<br />
about myself. <strong>The</strong>y are like my<br />
family and have been excellent<br />
with me and my little girl.<br />
“You’ve got to do it for<br />
yourself, or nothing is going to<br />
change. Even if you’re proud. I<br />
didn't want to ask for help, but you<br />
need it. Grab it with both hands<br />
and give it a go. <strong>The</strong>n stay calm<br />
and keep focused and busy. If<br />
you’re bored, your mind starts<br />
wandering. You need a routine<br />
and structure.”<br />
With a fresh start, *Aleena is<br />
now raising her daughter and<br />
continues to rebuild her life. She<br />
is also still in touch with her local<br />
treatment service, who continue to<br />
offer support.<br />
How to find help<br />
You can find details of treatment services on your<br />
local authority’s website. FRANK also has a<br />
directory of adult and young people’s alcohol and<br />
drug treatment services at talktofrank.com/help<br />
If you are worried about a friend or family<br />
member and they are happy for you to do so,<br />
contact FRANK, or the local drug and alcohol<br />
service on their behalf . You, or the person you<br />
are worried for can call FRANK anytime on 0300<br />
123 6600 for confidential advice and information.<br />
You can talk to your GP, who can then refer you<br />
to services, but if you are not comfortable doing<br />
that you can approach your local drug and<br />
alcohol treatment service yourself without a<br />
referral or a friend or family member can, contact<br />
the local service on your behalf.<br />
Remember that expert help is out there. Treatment<br />
is available for anyone who is dependent on drugs<br />
or alcohol. Staff in the local service will talk you<br />
through all of your personal treatment options and<br />
agree on a plan with you.<br />
Community support alongside treatment<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are also lots of groups within the community<br />
of people in recovery that offer support, including<br />
Alcoholics Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous,<br />
Narcotics Anonymous and UK SMART<br />
Recovery - and, for families and friends, Al-Anon<br />
and Families Anonymous.<br />
<strong>The</strong>se self-helps groups can provide a vital source<br />
of support, alongside the help provided by the<br />
local treatment service.<br />
You can call FRANK anytime on 0300 123 6600<br />
for confidential advice and information.<br />
Help is at hand: Scan to reach out to the nation’s<br />
drug and alcohol advisory service FRANK