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French Language Alcohol Related Links and Resources |
Below are listed a number of French language sites.
July 9, 2002
À
toi de juger : Qu'est- ce
qu'une boisson alcoolisée?
May 20, 2002
"Les
Médicaments et les Aînés". "Une pilule, docteur!"
May 20, 2002
La Banque de donées sur al
politique et les programmes touchant les aînés du Canada
La BDPPA est une banque de données sur les politiques et programmes gouvernementaux destinés principalement aux aînés. Elle a été développée et est tenue à jour par les gouvernements; fédéral, provinciaux et territoriaux.
Other highlights
in this section:
A French discussion of harm reduction.
A report on addictions in Quebec
A newsletter article by CPLT on the needs for Quebec services to better
meet the needs of older adults with substance abuse problems
A French bingo game education tool for older adults around alcohol
issues.
The role of alcoholic beverage industry in alcohol education in Quebec.
An abstinence-focussed ex-drinker group in France describes the therapy
continuum (“before, during and after the cure”)
Their
Website is www.cplt.com/
A. CPLT publishes a newsletter called <<En substance>>.
The
February, 2001 edition is devoted to older adults. See: www.cplt.com/substance/substance.pdf In an article titled <<La toxicomanie sur les aînés: l’urgence
d’agir>>, CPLT describes how the Ministry of Social Services in its
Addiction Plan for 1998-2001 identified older adults as needing special
intervention or assistance in the addiction area. Quebec is currently collecting
a body of information on who is currently providing alcohol-related
services in Quebec to older adults.
The
newsletter also talks about the success of a day of study on addiction of older
adults at which they brought together participants from the addiction treatment
centres, CLSCS (community services centres,) CHSLDs (Centre hérbergement et de
soins de long durée or in English, long term care housing), hospital complexes
and community organizations.
CHSLDs
are what some provinces call “supportive living” or others call “assisted
living”. CHSLDs offer services
to the adult and elderly population who, by reason of loss of autonomy can no
longer live in their homes or foster homes despite the support of families and
friends. The services can include
lodging,
assistance, support and monitoring as well as services of readjustment,
psychosocial, nurses, pharmaceutical and medical services.
The local community services are
pressing to have similar training on alcohol issues affecting older adults done
with their staff.
B.
Addiction in Quebec:
The CPLT prepared a report on the addiction situation in Quebec, called “Le point sur la situation toxicomanie au Québec, 1995-1999”, see: www.cplt.com/showdoc.php3?rp=1&ti=Le%20Point
There
do not seem to be any specific parts of the report focussing on older adults,
however, the report does emphasize several issues that also arise in the older
population—
-- concurrent alcohol and mental health problems;
-- the special effects on women (the report notes that medications problems are much more common among women aged 45 and over); and
-- the social and economic costs of addiction in the province.
There is also a section on alcohol and other drug problems among people who are homeless.
C.
Harm Reduction: The
CPLT also has produced a 1999 report on harm reduction (“Toxicomanie
et réduction des méfaits”). It can be found at:
Basically,
there are several key points under the harm
reduction approach as it applies to substance misuse and abuse – its pragmatic
and humanistic sources; the values underlying it; and its characteristics.
drug use, whether alcohol or another drug, is a reality in our society
there
are both benefits and costs for the person to the use of the drug in question,
in
helping the person or that part of the population, you need to go where they
are (physically, environmentally, spiritually)
you
need to offer a variety of means of helping, related to the person’s
specific needs.
Harm
reduction focuses on community social action, and is a reaction to paternalism
and discrimination. It integrates a humanitarian, civil and political approach.
The
basic values include universal and equitable access to care and collective
resources, protection of health and security of the public, as well as promotion of individual and collective health. At the same
time, it stresses the rights of the citizen and promotion of their participation
and social integration.
II.
FOBAST
is a non-profit, provincial group of community and volunteer organizations
providing support and assistance to people with drug addictions in Quebec.
FOBAST was founded in 1973. FOBAST
gathers, directs and coordinates the actions of voluntary and community
organizations which share its philosophy within drug-addiction prevention and
rehabilitation.
FOBAST
aims at promoting and coordinating the action of the voluntary organizations
working in the field of the prevention of drug-addiction and the assistance with
the drug addicts. The membership raise specific areas of concern. Training held
this year at their conference focused on
problem gambling.
Their
Website is
www.cam.org/fobast/index.html
III. Association des intervenants en toxicomanie du Québec (AITQ)
AITQ brings together
professionals, non-professionals and volunteers working in the field of
drug-addiction in Quebec, and support ways in which the community can be
actively involved in drug-addiction prevention and assistance. Among other things, the mission of AITQ is to support the
acquisition of new knowledge in the field of drug-addiction and support the
exchanges between various speakers in drug-addiction (open dialogue).
Their
objectives include:
supporting dialogue in this area.
helping improve the quality of the services being offered to the people
who have addiction problems.
ensure a continuous training of members
taking part n committees that advise various governmental authorities.
disseminating information on drug-addiction near target groups and of general public.
producing documents and tools for speakers and the populations with the drug addiction problem
sensitizing the community about the use and the abuse of alcohol and
other psychotropic substances.
AITQ
has a Bingo Game which can be used with older adults to educate people on the
problems associated with alcohol and medications in later life. See:
www.aitq.com/documen/jeux.htm
Their
Website is www.aitq.com/recherche/recherc.htm
IV. Éduc’alcool
Éduc'alcool
represents the various partners in the alcoholic beverage industry in Quebec.
During the last decade it has been engaged in many programs, focussing on
accountability, moderation and a non-censuring approach. Much of the work
focuses on drinking and driving education campaigns; educating young people
about drinking; discussion about pregnancy and drinking; as well as training and
raising awareness of bar/ restaurant staff.
Éduc'alcool
is probably best known for “Operation Red Nose” (a program to avoid drinking
and driving accidents during the holidays), and for their slogan: “Moderation:
It’s a matter of Good Taste”, which
promotes moderation, with a particular focus on consuming better quality
beverages (quality, not quantity).
Éduc'alcool
is a member of the International Council on Alcoholism and Addiction, a World
Health Organization affiliate. Executive
director Hubert Sacy chairs the council's Alcohol Education Section.
Health
or Senior Related Materials on their site:
There
is an interesting section on the website called “To drink or not to drink:
That
is the health question”, which is an excerpt from
a
study on alcohol and health conducted by Hortense Fournier and Louise Nadeau of
the University of Montreal. The study was commissioned by Éduc'alcool and
published in May 1997. The full report is available in French. The excerpt and
the highlights of the report are available in English.
(www.educalcool.qc.ca/doc.cfm?Ca=137&Doc=274).
Contains explicit reference to alcohol in moderation being good (more heart protective) for older adults, especially those more inclined to cardiovascular illnesses. By moderation, they are referring to no more than two drinks a day.
The summary also notes some of the inconsistencies among alcohol-heart research results that need further exploration. The authors also underscore that overall the longevity of people in France (1993 figures) was 77 years, as opposed to 78 years for Canada, so alcohol consumption is only one factor in longevity and health.
Vie
Libre is one of a number of “ex drinker groups” which are very active in
France, some of them pre-dating A.A. Some of these were originally
denominational such as "Croix d'or" and "Croix bleue".
"Vie Libre", "Joie et Santé", "Amitiés P.T.T."
are lay associations.
There
are several interesting elements on the Vie Libre website. The section on
therapy, talks about three interrelated stages, “before, during, and after the
cure”. The therapy is discussed in the context of health, and working to
improve family relations. The approach is abstinence-based, but focuses on a
“happy abstinence”. There is also an interesting section on dependence generally.
The section marked “Communiqué,
gives a number of Vie Libre
press releases which provide a glimpse into alcohol policy in France
and Europe. For example, in a February 22nd, 2000 edition, Vie Libre describes
the push and pull in policy about whether or not alcohol should be integrated
and treated as a “drug” in the 3 year plan to fight drugs and drug
addiction. Wine growers created the European Institute of Wine and Health to inform the
public the benefits of wine. Vie Libre discusses this in the context of the
other health problems common in the country, as well as rate of accidents and
violence. A February 2nd, 2000 press release commends the development of
anti-cancer campaign in France that focuses on alcohol and tobacco as two chief
risk factors in cancer development.
Page last updated May 20, 2002
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