Adam asks community to support recovering addicts
(CNS): In a message to mark Recovery Month Minister of Community Services Mike Adam said people should avoid judging those who are trying to recover from addiction as they were the people who in so many instances are most needful of love and support. Adam said that government continues to work towards establishing strong institutions and programmes to strengthen the family unit. The Family Resource Unit, he said, is now increasing the focus on families by offering training workshops on abuse and programme sthat foster harmony in families. This year’s theme for Recovery Month is: “Join the Voices for Recovery: Now More Than Ever”. Adam stated that it is in everyone’s interest to promote healthy lifestyles in families and neighbourhoods.
Adam’s message in full:
Each September Recovery Month is observed across the globe. Against this background, the Ministry of Community Affairs, Gender and Housing wholeheartedly supports local residents who have taken the bold step away from substance misuse and other addictive behaviour, onto the recovery path.
The Ministry also views the month as an opportunity to reaffirm support for hardworking staff in both the public and private sectors, particularly those who dedicate their time to guiding persons who are struggling to get their lives on track.
It is often said—and it bears repeating—that the effects of addiction extend beyond those who are addicted, to impact family, community, and indeed the wider society.
This year’s theme for Recovery Month is: “Join the Voices for Recovery: Now More Than Ever!”.
And we should therefore understand that it is in all our interests to sustain the efforts to promote healthy lifestyles in our families and our neighbourhoods. Endorsing health and encouraging recovery can only help to solidify the foundations of social stability.
This year’s Recovery Month has a special focus on stress management. This is especially fitting as persons try to cope with added challenges, whether in their personal lives, in economicissues, public safety and more.
With such pressures in mind, we need to commit to positively influencing the lives of those who are seeking peace of mind, transformation and healing. Let us strive to avoid any tendency to judge and condemn persons, the very same ones who in so many instances are most needful of our love and support.
For our part, government continues to establish strong institutions and programmes to strengthen the family unit, for this is the main socializing agent in our society.
We have now established a Family Resource Unit (FRU) under the Department of Counselling Services which offers services previously provided by the National Parenting and Young Parent Programmes, and the Women’s Resource Centre.
The FRU is now increasing the focus on families by offering training workshops on abuse and programmes that foster harmony in families. The centre also offers guidance on proper parenting, particularly while dealing with stress management and other issues that impact the family.
These services are ongoing while the wider Department of Counselling Services provides family, individual and group counseling at The Counselling Centre, and residential treatment for addiction and recovery at Caribbean Haven Residential Centre.
In turn, the Department of Children and Family Services continues to materially assist numbers of families, to minimize the impact of economic hardship, and Ministry staff also work hard to develop special programmes for our at risk youth. Each department continues to work diligently to assist families who are impacted by Addiction and the process of Recovery.
While the Government continues to provide recovery assistance, let us not overlook our individual roles and responsibilities. Right here in our own communities, we can make a difference in preventing addiction and in the effort to support those who are striving to recover.
So during this Recovery Month let us join, “now more than ever”, with The Department of Counselling Services and work for this most worthwhile of causes.
God Bless you all.
Category: Health
Mr. Adam is doing his job! He can’t do the job for the whole UDP! What he can at least do is his and do it to his best ability. You all need to stop complaining, what you always want to point fingers at others and say what how they are not doing anything and then when someone asks you to help better your community which in turn will help better the island you groan about that too! Gosh if there is one thing the majority of you are good for is complaining, be-littling someone else and being bad minded. You all probably need the rehabilition to recover from your ignorant ways more than these drug addicts – Recovery Month should be focused on all the bad minded, grudgful, unthankful, bickering bunch if you ask me. Then we would all be in a much better place.
Wow… Mr. Adams comes out of his hiding place after 2 months, asking us the people to support the recovering addicts. When I last check it was his portfolio and ministry, so why don’t he just get on with his job he was hired to do, and stop asking us the people who is paying him to support him in his job. It is then best for him to go back and hide along side his friend Mark Scotland, but anyway he would go back to his hiding place for another few months without us asking him to do so, because ever since he got elected, he has been doing more missing in action than Chuck Norris, than doing his work.
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Maybe a Freedom of Information request can be made on a list of names and monies given to those who are receiving payouts from the Ministry of Community Services?
What concerns me is that this ministry could be a bigger financial threat to our budget than Cayman Airways.
Mike, I think money is being funnel to the wrong places. Please, let us not turn this ministry into another Cayman Airways with hugh threats on the budget! I think you need to re-evaluate your ministerial operations. It has been one year now, crime has increased – SIR, WHAT ARE YOU DOING, WHERE ARE THE RESULTS? WHEN WILL YOUR UDP COMRADES FOCUS THEIR ATTENTION ON HELPING THE COMMUNITY FROM THE GRASS ROOTS?
Mr. Adam – Get some Courage!!!
It is time you be responsible and ask for your UDP members to financially contribute and pass laws to support the Community Services ministry. Your party is so caught up with making the Almighty Dollar for their own goals and interest, the only one looking out for the LITTLE MAN is Ezzard Miller. You need to wake up, running around with your Buddha-bowl in your hand asking for donations when your own party is really doing nothing to help the unemployed and those in need…
MAN, CAN’T YOU SEE SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THE UDP??? WHERE ARE YOUR MORALS and COURAGE TO STAND UP???
I am so sick of hearing about how the community needs to help recovering addicts and support the youths at risk. If the parents would for once in their lifes get some back bone and NOT LET THEIR KIDS roam the streets or go to so called friends houses without finding out if their kids are going to their so called friends houses, put some boundaries and rules in place and enforce them. Stop making excuses. So what you are a single parent, there are many many single parents raising their children and doing a great job, then you have the ones that their kids go astray and blame it on being a single parent…bs!!! Its what you teach your children and the rules you have in place. I am not saying even if you do this there is a 100% guarantee they will turn out good, but look at statistics, all these gang members that have been arrested or killed the majority are under the age of 25, as young as 16. Its not the community’s responsiblity, the community at times tries to assist and the parents turn around and say "mind your business", or "not my child". Parents need to take some accountability to how their children turn out.
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Hello!
Ever heard the saying, "it takes a community to raise a child"
It is a true saying and it doesn’t mean "parents" are excluded from the community.
Many people critisized and belittled Mr. Adam when he was given this ministry. I have to say that this seems to be in my opinion the best run ministry of the entire government.
Mr. Adam, in my opinion has proven himself, a kind, caring and compassionate man and it seems that he is constantly excelling at doing the job we sent him there to do.
It is too bad that some of the other politicians don’t see things the same way and remember to put us the people who elected them first and foremost.
Congratulations Mr. Adam on a job well done. I trust and pray that you will not go the way of the regular politician.
"Each department continues to work diligently to assist families who are impacted by Addiction and the process of Recovery."
Even press releases now use inane quasi-Germanic common noun capitalisation. If the Government cannot communicate in writing in grammatically accurate English what hope is there for anyone else?