Money for Redlands Local Drug Action team to help

The money, awarded from the federal government’s $298 million National Ice Action Strategy, will be used by The Cage Youth Foundation to host a series of workshops and information sessions.

Foundation director Linda Grieve said members of the public and service provider representatives were invited to discuss drug and alcohol issues at an open forum on March 6.

The forum would be used to springboard topics to be covered in monthly workshops later this year.

Ms Grieve said a big issue in the Redlands was helping families affected by drugs and alcohol.

She said relatives of addicts were often embarrassed to talk to others about family life, opting instead to avoid social gatherings.

“It is not a conversation (you want) and you begin to isolate yourself,” she said.

“Social isolation is huge.”

Families could also become vulnerable to crime and often spent large amounts of money in desperate bids to have their loved one rehabilitated.

They might also rearrange their own lives to meet the needs of the addict, thereby not fulfilling their own.

“They have to postpone holidays because they don’t know how that will impact their person,” Ms Grieve said.

“There is a lot of people that choose to take drugs and alcohol. It can happen to anyone.”

Ms Grieve said planning was underway to put together sessions to help those impacted by other people’s misuse.

She said about 50 people, including affected families, politicians and service provider representatives, attended the last open forum.

The Cage Youth Foundation was leading the Redlands Local Drug Action Team to boost networking among service providers.

An aim of the group was to provide better integrated support to people affected by drugs and alcohol, Ms Grieve said.

Ms Grieve said The Cage would continue to engage Dominic Shelley, founder of program Get Read About Alcohol and Drugs, to present workshops.

For more about The Cage Youth Foundation, visit thecage.info.