Today, Addaction launched a major awareness raising campaign for drug and alcohol treatment in the UK .
The charity's campaign confronts the perception of substance misuse treatment as an unfashionable cause to support. It features adverts and online content telling four true stories of how drug and alcohol addiction has impacted individuals and families under the strap line 'Unfashionable, Not Unimportant'.
The appeal has been launched in response to the scale of drug and alcohol addiction among young people in the UK. Statistics from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) indicate that the UK has among the highest levels of drug use by under 18's in Europe.
The campaign has set a fundraising target of £10m. Money raised will be used to help fund projects that support young people affected by substance misuse problems. Launching the initiative, Alan Booth, Addaction's Director of Marketing and Public Affairs said:
"People don't think of charities when they think of drug and alcohol treatment and it's certainly not seen as a 'sexy cause'. We want to turn that on its head and show that our work may be difficult, gritty and unfashionable but it is deserving of people's support.
"Drug and alcohol addiction is at the root of many of our biggest social problems, from knife crime to family breakdown. If we want to ensure more young people don't grow up in to a life of substance misuse then we have to act now - because they have a far better chance of regaining control of their lives at 16 than they do later in life."
