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Substance misuse in France!

3K views 16 replies 3 participants last post by  hils 
#1 ·
Hello to everyone on this site,

Whilst I am a neewbie in terms of posts I've made on this site, I have spent quite some time reading into various informative discussions that have taken place on here and would like to thank soo many of you guys for the information I have found out.

Having gained a BA Hons in Social Science in the UK and currently working in the substance misuse field, with a considerable amount of liasing with the criminal justice. I do feel that this will be the one major thing I will miss when we do make the move. I absolutely love the work I do and whilst I do not elude myself into thinking that I could work in a similar area when we move to France, I would ideally love to work with people who have substance misue issues even on a volutary basis.

Whilst I realise from the small amount of research I have done, that France do have a drugs policy and a 'set up' which does deal with it which varies from local council's, my question (she does finally get to the point :rolleyes:) is, what are people's opinions of the problem with substance misuse in France? Also do any of you have any information regarding local charities that help within this area or information regarding vlountary organisations.

Any information would be more than welcomed.
Kind Regards
Angela :D
 
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#2 ·
Others will jump in here if their experience is different, but I've found that substantive volunteer work here in France is kind of rare. In many instances, "volunteer" work is seen as a way to reduce the number of paying jobs - and can be a problem in that sense.

I've known people who have tried to volunteer or organize volunteer efforts at local hospitals, who were told that the works councils objected to what they saw as "taking jobs away from individuals." This was for a volunteer program that would have distributed newspapers and reading material to patients.

What brings you to France?
Cheers,
Bev
 
#5 ·
Thanks for your reply Bev, I understand the issues regarding volunteer work, whilst it is a fact in the UK that too many public sector companies would not be able to continue offering many of the services they do, without the help of volunteers and I found whilst completing my degree that to volunteer was invaluable to me as I was provided with not only an insight into the work I was hoping to find paid employment within, I was also provided with very comprehensive training so it was a win, win situation all round.

However, I do know and understand why many countries frown upon volunteer work and in some respects it may be correct that volunteers could be taking paid work away from some sectors and therefore it is right to be opposed to these situations....though to distribute newspapers and reading materials to patients does seem a little OTT :rolleyes: poor patients!

I shall continue my quest to find some area I could be of use, maybe homeless shelters or maybe I will just have to spend all my spare time just annoying my hubby :D
Thanks Again
Angela
 
G
#3 · (Edited by Moderator)
is, what are people's opinions of the problem with substance misuse in France?
Round here, which is a rural area, drug dealers are given lots of help; we help them put the rope round their necks, we help to kick the chair out from underneath them, we leave them on view for a few weeks to help 'encourager les autres'.

.....which is how it should be, everywhere. Unfortunately, over time, standards have slipped, which is why society in general is in the mess it's in.

I rather think that Thailand and China have a better approach than the west on how to deal with dealers.
 
#6 ·
Thanks for your insight into your opinion of 'drug dealers' how unfortunate the guilloteen hasn't been used in France since (I beleive) 1977! My question wasn't really about people's opinions of 'drug dealers' but thanks for sharing your views anyway.

I would have no intention of helping or working with 'drug dealers' only the people that are wanting help to be free from addiction...not only the illegal ones!

Unfortunately Doctors and Chemists who are happy to continually hand out prescriptions for many prescribed drugs are just as detrimental in blighting peoples lives, but as they are 'professional' and prescribing 'legal' drugs it is not frowned upon in the same way as 'illegal' substances yet can still be as damaging...but eh, let's not get into who is or isn't to blame...I was just hoping to be able to offer some of my time/experience in helping the ones who need it!
Angela
 
#4 ·
Here is a rural area too, but there is nonetheless still a drugs problem which doesn't seem to be being addressed at all. Tho' I've never seen any drug-dealing going on, most kids seem to be able to get their hands on dope (if that's still the current word for it) & I've had to lay down the law in my own home about not having any of that sh** on the premises.

I'm 99% sure my 19 yr-old daughter doesn't touch the stuff - she doesn't even smoke normal cigs & can't stand smoke around her or the smell - she has attended the funerals of four of her friends, directly caused by drugs, and another friend who was murdered in - supposedly - drug-related crime.

So yes, it's a problem, but not one that seems to be being taken especially seriously by the French. I can only assume the problem is loads worse in the urban areas.

Hmmm
H
 
#7 ·
Thanks H,

Really sorry to hear that your daughter has lost soo many of her friends to 'drug related' incidents. It is devastating not just for the 'user' but to all friends and families and I am sure if you continue to comminicate to your daughter then she would hopefully be honest enough to discuss any issues she may have and as terrible as it was to have lost friends, it will hopefully be the deterrent your daughter would need to ensure she doesn't follow in the same path.

I assume it's a case of NIMBY (not in my back yard) approach to dealing with the 'problem' So many people are quite happy to live with rose tinted glasses and not admit there is a problem and if there is, then its definitely not where they live and hope it may just go away.

From what I have read France do have a 'prescribing' scheme in place whereby they offer 'prescribed' substitutes for heroin etc, however, they do not seem to offer very much in way of psychosocial intervention with users who are using or addicted to depressants (canabis/alcohol) or stimulants (coke/speed) I guess it is a case of wait and see what will happen with regard to this problem, as I am sure there must be many 'professionals' or 'theorists' who would be likely to suggest alternative ways of dealing with the problem other than just prescribing a more legal form of heroin (methadone/bupermorphine) to it's users......maybe one day!

Angela
 
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#8 ·
MTC - if you think Thailand's tough on drug offences, it's a statutory death penalty in Laos for dealing in the hard stuff. And in the Gulf, forget where exactly (Abu Dhabi?) it's not so long since a transit passenger from Europe was slung in jail for a week or so for having 0.001 of a gram of cannabis stuck to the bottom of his shoe.

Franknang. Bev's about right with respect to charity work in France - although there are plenty of organisations with volunteers providing unpaid support in the sports world for kids, or for minorities from the banlieus. Plus there are organisations equivalent to the likes of the Samaritans, providing mostly telephone support and counselling. I did this for ten years in the UK, and many of the problems were drug- and alcohol related. There was/is an English-language equivalent in France as well.
 
#9 ·
Thanks so much for that info frogblogger (btw love the name :D) I will look into many different avenues when we arrive, I just wanted to know that there maybe a possibility of volunteering in a field I have some knowledge/experience in. I will look more into the Samaritans (equivalent) which sounds like a good idea.
Thanks Again
Angela
 
#10 ·
Hi Angela
Hope you have some luck in your quest & thanks for your thoughts re my daughter. As it happens, it seems her way of dealing with it is to become a qualified undertaker and she is very busily spreading the word amongst her friends about some horrific sights she's already seen, what happens to bodies, & consequences upon the "nearest & dearest". Maybe that's also effective in its way.

She's still looking for gainful employment in her chosen field tho' so if anyone has any contacts.......

Hils
 
#11 ·
Hi Hils,

I know it shouldn't put a smile on my face, but your response really did make me chuckle somewhat, with regard to the irony of your daughters choice in employment bless her.

Some say everything happens for a reason and something good must come from such terrible tragedies therefore, I am sure she will be successful in her quest to find employment, and I will be sure to mention her to anyone I may come across regarding work....unfortunately I do not know any undertakers (which I guess is a good thing...in terms of not having had a reason for using one as of yet!) but if I have the pleasure of meeting any I will definitely mention your daughter.

Wish her luck
All the best
Angela
 
G
#14 ·
Dunno MTC, can't make much sense of it all. We're told excessive punishment sends it underground and does nothing to limit the industry. But if that's so, is drug-taking as prevalent in Abu Dhabi as in Amsterdam? Or course not. Two different cultures I know, but all the same.

Of course we can't legislate fully against stupid behaviour, expect to be able to stamp it out. All the same we spend an awful lot of time pussyfooting around issues like this. And it costs the country a fortune in one way or another. If not the death penalty, stick all dealers in anything other than cannabis away for 15 years without parole, maybe.

To be honest though, I reckon that certain parts of society are on such a rapid downward slope, some of the fundamental problems so entrenched, that there's not a great deal we can do about it.
 
#15 ·
I think whilst we have got so many corrupt governments involved with drug smuggling, for example the CIA involved with aiding drug trafficking for over 50 years involving many corrupt federal judges and members of congress along with so many other governments, then what chance do we stand of ever irradicating the drugs problem which is worlwide? I think not very much.

I also beleive that we have become far to 'PC' with regard to the human 'rights' of offenders etc.., that you are right frogblogger in terms of it been so entrenched in all societies that there will never be a solution.

Prisons do not work (UK), so instead of our country dealing with the problem which is in soicety and pumping funding into solving the problem in the first place, they decide money is better spent building more prisons, for offenders to be fed, clothed, housed then released back into the same society to then repeat the cycle, I wouldn't like to guess what the cost of this is to tax payers.

So unless we can sort out the corruption from the 'Top- Down', then we will sadly never eradicate the problem.
 
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#16 ·
<<<so many corrupt governments involved with drug smuggling, for example the CIA involved with aiding drug trafficking for over 50 years involving many corrupt federal judges and members of congress>>>>


An easy cop-out. I don't deny it may exist, but the % of drugs bought and sold by corrupt officials of all sorts is, logically, way way less than that bought by individuals/cartels etc.

<<<I also beleive that we have become far to 'PC' with regard to the human 'rights' of offenders etc..,>>>

Agreed - what is so wrong about society weeding out its own corruption and dispatching them?

<<<Prisons do not work (UK),>>>

They probably worked a lot better when they were a tough regime instaed of rehab holiday camps, and I'd also hazard a guess that the thought of hanging as a punishment kept the prison population down too.

<<<<So unless we can sort out the corruption from the 'Top- Down', then we will sadly never eradicate the problem.[/quote]

No, that should read 'unless we can sort out teh corruption at all levels....'
 
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