Alcohol 'huge problem for rehab centres'
January 28, 2008 - 12:20PM
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Sydney's drug and alcohol rehabilitation services say a spike in the number of people seeking help for their addictions could be partly attributable to "a celebrity meltdown".
Odyssey House, one of the city's oldest and best known rehabilitation centres, says it has been forced to turn people away this month after demand on its services increased by more than one-third.
The centre's James Pitts says alcohol problems have been largely responsible for a record number of calls from people seeking help.
The increase also could be explained by publicity surrounding the celebrities who have sought treatment for their drug and alcohol problems, Mr Pitts said.
"Last year it seemed that seemingly every other day there was some report, particularly in the US, of people like Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and other celebrities being in and out of rehab," Mr Pitts told the Fairfax Radio Network.
"They gained a lot of publicity and made the public aware that rehabilitation is a viable alternative.
"It tends to get sensationalised and trivialised, but it made the public much more aware, particularly the younger people who may have a problem.
"(They) look up to these people and think well, maybe if Lindsay Lohan has a problem, or Britney has a problem and goes into rehab, maybe I'll do the same thing."
Mr Pitts said January also was a peak period because people tended to put off seeking treatment until after the Christmas-New Year festivities.
"Most people tend to think that they're going to put it off until after the holidays, they're going to spend time with their family, they're going to do it later," he said.
Mr Pitts said for the first time, alcohol last year became the substance most responsible for people joining the Odyssey House program.
"It's only by a slight margin but it is the first time this has happened," he said.
"You now have 30 per cent of the people - 880 people last year - nominating alcohol as the primary drug of concern.
"We tend to miss the point about alcohol being a drug.
"In terms of how much damage it does, alcohol does more damage than all the illicit drugs put together."
The chief executive of the Family Drug Support service, Tony Trimingham, agreed that both the celebrity factor and increasing problems with alcohol could be linked to a rise in the number of people seeking help.
"I think the celebrity thing probably does raise awareness and have people talking more,' Mr Trimingham told Fairfax newspapers.
"That can only be a good thing but I think we have to accept there are more and more problems with alcohol."
January 28, 2008 - 12:20PM
AdvertisementAdvertisement
Sydney's drug and alcohol rehabilitation services say a spike in the number of people seeking help for their addictions could be partly attributable to "a celebrity meltdown".
Odyssey House, one of the city's oldest and best known rehabilitation centres, says it has been forced to turn people away this month after demand on its services increased by more than one-third.
The centre's James Pitts says alcohol problems have been largely responsible for a record number of calls from people seeking help.
The increase also could be explained by publicity surrounding the celebrities who have sought treatment for their drug and alcohol problems, Mr Pitts said.
"Last year it seemed that seemingly every other day there was some report, particularly in the US, of people like Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and other celebrities being in and out of rehab," Mr Pitts told the Fairfax Radio Network.
"They gained a lot of publicity and made the public aware that rehabilitation is a viable alternative.
"It tends to get sensationalised and trivialised, but it made the public much more aware, particularly the younger people who may have a problem.
"(They) look up to these people and think well, maybe if Lindsay Lohan has a problem, or Britney has a problem and goes into rehab, maybe I'll do the same thing."
Mr Pitts said January also was a peak period because people tended to put off seeking treatment until after the Christmas-New Year festivities.
"Most people tend to think that they're going to put it off until after the holidays, they're going to spend time with their family, they're going to do it later," he said.
Mr Pitts said for the first time, alcohol last year became the substance most responsible for people joining the Odyssey House program.
"It's only by a slight margin but it is the first time this has happened," he said.
"You now have 30 per cent of the people - 880 people last year - nominating alcohol as the primary drug of concern.
"We tend to miss the point about alcohol being a drug.
"In terms of how much damage it does, alcohol does more damage than all the illicit drugs put together."
The chief executive of the Family Drug Support service, Tony Trimingham, agreed that both the celebrity factor and increasing problems with alcohol could be linked to a rise in the number of people seeking help.
"I think the celebrity thing probably does raise awareness and have people talking more,' Mr Trimingham told Fairfax newspapers.
"That can only be a good thing but I think we have to accept there are more and more problems with alcohol."
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