The Island desperately needs more transitional living centres for addicts, particularly because the Island is filled with enablers, according to experts at a National Drug Control conference.

And members of the community dealing with addiction in their family, or curious to know more about addiction, were urged to attend today's conference at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute.

"We all have an addict in our family," said Curtis Mitchell of Turning Point rehabilitation programme. "The community needs to be involved in relapse prevention, don't make it so easy to relapse.

"Bermuda enables these addicts. The community needs education on how they are enabling the problem and how that is causing the drug problem to get worse.

"It's not getting better, it is getting worse. By letting the problem continue the community is getting invested from the inside out. Relapse prevention is all of our problems."

The conference, "Saving lives, Saving dollars", involved people from all areas of the addiction profession, including those who refer addicts to various services, those who run rehab centres, provide counselling and groups which run transitional residences.

Transitional housing provides a structured environment for people who have left rehabilitation but still need help in returning to society.

Clients in transitional housing are expected to do chores, take money management classes and continue attending addiction meetings, among other things.

Sandy Butterfield, of Focus Counselling Services, said providing homes for former addicts to go to once they have completed a rehabilitation programme has been a struggle in Bermuda due to the "NIMBY" (not in my back yard) syndrome.

"When we formed our first supportive residence we had people complaining they would have to buy pit bulls and lock their homes because it was no longer safe.

"But then we moved in to the community, despite the protestations against the home, and it was fine. We currently have four homes in various areas of the community and we received planning permission in May for a 12 person home in St. George's.

"It has been difficult brining supportive housing to Bermuda but we are getting there."

And recovering addicts also spoke, urging society to support the organisations trying to tackle the Island's drug problem. Alan, who spent years "living in the elements", said he could not imagine what his life would be like if he had not gone to Camp Spirit, an intensive rehabilitation programme on Darrell's Island.

"I was like a trash can. If there wasn't any coke, fine I would do crack. If there was no crack, then I would take some heroin. It got so bad I went out for one hit and didn't come home for a year. I just moved from place to place and lived out in the elements. After a year I strolled back into the house and didn't think anything was wrong. My wife told me my clothes were outside and they had been there for eight months.

"But I didn't see that there was anything wrong with not coming home for a year.

"At one point I was earning $1,700 a week and didn't have any money for food [because he was using it for drugs]."–It was only through the intervention of a cousin who housed Alan before setting him up with the Camp Spirit organisers that Alan began on his road to recovery. But even then times were hard.

"I used to stand on a hill at Darrell's Island and think 'yea I could make that swim'. Like what was I going to do when I got to Harbour Road soaking wet, ask for a lift to town so I could get a hit?"

Today addiction professionals will continue discussing the issues surrounding the drug problem on the Island, in particular what to do with adolescent addicts. The public is urged to attend the free public conference which is being held at the BUEI starting nine this morning and continuing to four p.m., lunch and snacks are provided.