ISAM: Opening speech

Good morning, everone!

Drug problems are of enormous dimensions worldwide. Millions of people are plagued by drug and alcohol dependencies; even more are indirectly affected as friends and relatives; as a mother, a father, a brother or sister, as a spouse or a child of a drug abuser. Still even others are affected, as random victims of traffic accidents or acts of violence, be it from the abuse of alcohol, narcotics or prescription drugs.

Often, people who suffer from these problems carry with them a story of deep personal struggle. Addiction problems are complex – and must be addressed as such. I have had multiple chances to have conversations with people who suffer from drug addiction. The only thing most of them have in common, is this message: The agencies must cooperate to provide a holistic approach to the problem: Medical professionals, psychologists and nutritionists, - social security, family support, housing agencies, the legal system, rehabilitation centers – and other support mechanisms – must all be coordinated to the benefit of the target groups.

A great many of the people with drug and alcohol disorders – at least those who are visible in society – experience humiliation. Many are rejected, met with contempt – or even denied medical help and legal support. But as I mentioned, this accounts for those whose problems are visible. We all know that is not the case for everyone. Many suffer from the same kind of problems – in a disguised everyday life.

In Oslo – and in other towns in Norway and in other countries – we have street magazines, made and sold by homeless people. The street magazine of our capital is called Equals Oslo. It is striking how many of the salesmen and -women have told me about their brand new experience of dignity as they have started selling the magazine. Suddenly they are not perceived only as burdens, they have something to offer: A high quality product – which has become very popular in our town. One man told me: “My back has straightend up and I can look people in the eyes again.”

To be able to offer the help needed, we must use clinical and psychosocial expertise - and we need research to identify novel methods to address these challenges. Only through thoughtful investigation, systematic training and broad dissemination of knowledge can we provide the most cost efficient and successful treatments to people with drug addiction the world over, and give support and assistance to those passively affected by addiction.

I hope that the 13th annual meeting of the International Society of Addiction Medicine here in Oslo will provide a chance for all of you to be updated on the latest news and developments in this field, and to be equiped with new knowledge and inspiration for your future work. In closing, I would like to quote a man called André – who played a part in a Norwegian documentary: ”When I finally got methadon, he said, «my first thought was not: Oh great! Now I’ll stay sober the rest of my life! To me, it was all about walking the final mile with dignity.»

I wish you productive and mind expanding days here in Oslo and declare the ISAM Meeting of 2011 open.

Thank you.