Posted on 01/03/2006 7:34:37 PM PST by Fido969
Ottawa program offers drinks to homeless alcoholics Last updated Jan 3 2006 07:37 AM EST
CBC News
Shelters across the country are taking a closer look at an Ottawa shelter that gives drinks to homeless alcoholics after a study suggested the program is having a positive impact.
Two men in the program receive their drinks at an Ottawa shelter.
Dr. Tiina Podymow envisioned the program after volunteering with chronic alcoholics, including some who drank upwards of 40 drinks per day of alcohol and liquids such as mouthwash.
Participants in the Managed Alcohol Project were given permanent beds in a shelter and, from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m, allowed to have one drink of homemade wine or beer per hour, carefully measured out at a dispensary counter.
A study published in this week's edition of the Canadian Medical Association Journal is raising interest in the program.
Completed by the shelter's medical director, Dr. Jeff Turnbull, the study examined the program's impact on 17 residents.
Most had been alcoholics for 35 years before starting the program.
Turnbull's study found:
Participants who typically had 46 drinks a day before the program dropped to about eight drinks a day during the program.
The number of visits to the emergency room fell by 36 per cent.
The number of encounters with police was essentially halved.
Critics say there's no way to judge how effective the harm-reduction approach is because there's no comparison group in the study, such as people taking part in an abstinence program like Alcoholics Anonymous.
But Turnbull says the aim of the program is not complete abstinence.
"We always try to encourage people to stop drinking, but we are realistic," he said. "These are people who have spent 20 to 30 years on the street and trying to get them to stop alcohol is not possible at this time."
Others question the reasoning behind the program.
"If this works for alcoholism and you can keep your streets cleaner and safer, then what is stopping you from doing it for cocaine addicts or crystal meth people?" asked Salvation Army spokesperson Brian Venables.
Podymow says she understands the criticism.
"I would totally agree the best treatment is to stop completely," she said, "but if the person with the disease isn't going to stop, what else is the plan?"
Wendy Cooper and Jimmy Smyth went through the program together and are now both completely dry.
"If it wasn't for the program, I seriously say I would've been dead by now," said Cooper.
With a year-long waiting list to get into the program, several shelters in other cities are interested in adopting it.
If I ever found out that the shelters I donate to were using that money to provide alcoholic beverages to 'clients', they would never get another cent from me.
So do I. But the checks never seem to get to me. So, my wife still has to go to work everyday. I'm one of the "evil" self employed that the IRS is convinced I am cheating them out of my "fair share".
You have described many nursing homes in this country where we also pick up the tab.
How much is the airfare? I'm going on vacation.
Yeah, Carnival charges about $2500 a week for what Ottowa is offering for free.
Yeah---God forbid thease drunks would light a cigarette---oh the horror of it all.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.