Read the full stories and more, online
WHEN I WAS YOUNG
I experimented with
drugs and got into trouble. After spending a
year in rehab, I started volunteering for SCT
in the late ‘70s and have stayed ever since.
My first job mainly involved giving
sandwiches and clothing to homeless
callers at the crypt, and talking to them. It
was run from Christ Church Spitalfields, and
we provided a supportive environment and
an increasingly challenging programme for
about 18 men with alcohol problems who
came in straight from the streets or the
local detox in Whitechapel.
The crypt was once a ‘dry house’ for
homeless alcoholic men. In the early days,
these were the most hardcore drinkers
around. Cider, wine, methylated and
surgical spirits were the most common
drinks then, and in that order. This was back
when Spitalfields was a big fruit and veg
market, with countless places or derelict
building sites where people could sleep,
called ‘derries’ and ‘skippers.’
We moved our residential programme to
Shoreditch where we now support 16 men,
recovering from their addiction in a much
more intense way than we ever could back
when I started.
Back in the days of the crypt, we realised
that just keeping the men warm and dry
was not enough and many of them had very
basic living skills. They might know how to
get by on the streets, but they did not know
how to ‘do life’ – find a job, a home and cook
a meal for themselves. There was no
aftercare. They got sober, but didn’t have a
recovery programme. So we set one up,
drawing heavily on the 12-step programme.
We run a personal development and
training centre, and three social enterprises
where individuals can learn the skills of
working with people and gain experience
that will give them a chance of finding a
job. Much of our work is supported by our
own fundraising efforts and charity shops.
I still love my work – I see positive change.
It’s about people coming off dependency and
recovering their sobriety, and learning to love
life, themselves and others.
Graham Marshall is CEO of Spitalfields
Crypt Trust.
As Spitalfields Crypt Trust (SCT) celebrates 50 years of helping people in recovery,
CEO
Graham Marshall
looks back at the changing landscape of addiction and
recovery in East London
The times they are a changin’
‘I still love
my work –
I see positive
change.
It’s about
people...
learning to
love life...’
THERE’S A HOST OF COMMON
CHALLENGES when delivering drug
treatment programmes. One of the
biggest is how to ensure participants
understand and retain the content
presented to them.
There are five persistent limitations
that prevent individuals from
accessing the right treatment for their
level of understanding: many
programmes place emphasis on
written work, but classroom
environments can be difficult for those with negative experiences
of school and topics and terminology can confuse those who
struggle to grasp the extent of their substance misuse. People
with English as an additional language, meanwhile, are rarely provided
for, and basic training for facilitators is sometimes missing.
With the right approach, these are preventable – even when
coupled with additional factors such as poor concentration (often due
to detox) and restrictive attendance criteria. However, another key
limitation in many cases is the comprehension of a programme’s
content. Many programmes do not allow for personal academic ability,
mental health, language or cultural differences. As a result, programme
content can be confusing due to the diverse way in which teaching can
be delivered and learned.
Substance misuse programmes are often ‘word-heavy’, and require
participants to express themselves in a universal way. Government data
shows that a high percentage of individuals accessing treatment have
low literacy levels and learning disabilities. Many have jumped hurdles
to start a treatment programme, only to discover the material requires a
level of focus, comprehension or language beyond their ability
So why does this problem need to be tackled? While low literacy
doesn’t necessarily lead to drug and alcohol issues, it is imperative that
we address substance misuse in a way that is accessible to all abilities
and learning styles. Ignoring this will result in certain groups of people
falling through the cracks of the treatment system and never reaching
their potential for recovery.
Richard Homer is managing director of Vivid Training
The writing’s on the wall
Literacy issues can be a barrier to participant engagement and successful outcomes in substance
misuse treatment programmes.
Richard Homer
explores the reasons why
By using a pre-
printed flip
chart (above),
Vivid Training
highlights key
learning areas.
first person
8 |
drinkanddrugsnews
| November 2015
