A move into new premises has finally enabled the Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse (CADA) to set up its own Prevention Resource Centre.

Speaking in the spacious surroundings of The Stables building on Reid Street Extension, executive director Dominique Smith told The Royal Gazette , "As a prevention agency, we see our task as changing the community's norms in approaching the problem of substance abuse. In this day and age, we all want `the quick fix' -- we get the Police to lock people up for using or selling illegal drugs, and we try to prevent the entry of drugs into Bermuda. But,'' she emphasised, "you cannot have these as the main policies in any country because you're never going to cut off the supply of drugs! What we have to do is work on the `demand' issue -- and that comes down to prevention.'' Conceding that this approach will not achieve instant, overnight success, Ms Smith, who joined CADA in May, commented, "This approach doesn't always get the vote from the people because it's a long-term project. We have to convince the community to change its norms. Our role at CADA is to educate the public, to encourage people to want to change. You can't force change and it's no use waiting for Government or some Ministry to change things. We have to teach people that there are different ways of making changes because no government is going to change legislation if the community at large doesn't want it changed.'' The agency has just completed a workshop in which an estimated 80 people from all walks of the community took part, including teachers and guidance counsellors, Police, the Ministry of Health, Addiction Services, the Employee Assistance Programme, the Road Safety Council, the Salvation Army and other service agencies.

"We call it `Prevention 101', joked associate director Cathy Belvedere, "because it is literally an introduction to prevention.'' Noting that CADA, which comes under the financial umbrella of the Council Partners Charitable Trust, has always concentrated its efforts on the prevention aspect of drug abuse, Ms Belvedere added, "We saw a need to re-strategise that prevention plan and we did that in 1996. By April of last year we had a new mission statement which reflects our total commitment to prevention.'' Also joining CADA in the new premises are other Council Partners' agencies, including PRIDE, Bermuda Lifeskills Group and the Family Learning Centre.

"Our overall name will be the Prevention Partners Charitable Trust. We find that many of the issues addressed by each of these agencies overlap to a certain extent so it is useful to be geographically close and makes administration much easier, '' explained Ms Belvedere, who has previously worked as programme coordinator for the Bermuda Lifeskills Group. "Another of our priorities at CADA is also to compile and maintain a database of detailed information on all the helping services. This is an ongoing project called `Healing Families'.'' One of the problems facing Bermuda, said Ms Smith, was the still prevailing perception by some sectors of the community that drug abuse affects only a relatively small pocket of people. "They think there's nothing wrong, because they've personally never been exposed to it. But it's a huge problem and crops up everywhere. It runs the gamut of society in general. There's a problem within every ethnic background on this Island. Some keep it under wraps, of course -- but that, in fact, makes the situation even worse because those people take that much longer to break down and actually seek help.'' Another problem that needs to be addressed, she said, was the stigma that is attached to female alcoholics. "They're still not tolerated in society in the way that men are -- anywhere in the world!'' Ms Smith, who has a strong background in business, spent 20 years in the banking sector where she worked in the fields of financial planning, personnel and marketing. She has headed volunteer groups, acted as business consultant to PRIDE and was invited to sit on the NDC's Prevention Committee.

She feels strongly that one of the main priorities facing CADA is to break down the barriers of shame which prevent people from seeking help. "We have to make it more comfortable for people if we are going to reach a point where healing can begin. It's because of guilt and shame that people keep their problems to themselves so, as a society, we have to open up.'' It is vital, she urged, that the entire family is educated on the problems of substance abuse. "People go away for treatment -- but the family is left on its own. We need to educate them on the process of recovery and about things like relapse -- to understand that this is often part of that process and certainly not the time to give up on a person who has relapsed in recovery.'' The reality of general ignorance was brought home to Ms Smith just recently, when she was working with a youth group. "There was a kid who had a big problem, but the pastor didn't know where to send him for help.'' With the establishment of CADA's Prevention Resource Centre, there will be a wide variety of information available to the general public. "We have books, research articles, videos, CD Roms for use in the home and the classroom,'' explained Ms Belvedere. "We hope that our leaflets will be produced in Bermuda, citing Bermudian statistics and also printed in Portuguese. This project is being co-funded by the Council Partners and the National Drug Commission (NDC). A very important part of our work,'' she added, "is to also go out into the community to educate people, especially our young people -- at places like CedarBridge Academy and the prisons.'' Praising staff member Gina Spence for her work in the prisons, Ms Smith said that her recent production of `The Judgement', performed by 13 inmates at Westage Correctional Facility had been a huge success. "It was written by Shaun Crockwell and Charles Richardson, and relayed, via micro-link, to CedarBridge. Gina has also shown the play to all the inmates and is planning to present it at the Prison Farm and Co-Ed Facility. I think this play underlines the idea -- and this is something we have to learn -- that the drug addict is basically a good person and that he is hurting very badly.'' Ms Smith revealed that CADA and NDC (the organisation that determines Bermuda's policy on drug abuse) will be co-sponsoring a special workshop next month on `The Responsible Beverage Service'. "We are inviting the community, including the hospitality industry, to learn how to be more responsible about the serving of alcohol in certain situations. This applies to the home, restaurants, bars and clubs, and will hopefully encourage people to think more responsibly about these kinds of problems and to find out where, as a community, we stand on these kinds of issues. We thought that December would be a good time of year to do this!'' `The Responsible Beverage Service' workshop takes place at the Chamber Chamber of Commerce, Hamilton, on Monday, December 7 from 8.30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Anyone interested in attending is asked to contact CADA at 295-5982.