REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE ANA LIFFEY DRUG PROJECT PREMISES
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE ANA LIFFEY DRUG PROJECT PREMISES, MIDDLE ABBEY STREET, DUBLIN
Tá mé buíoch díbh as an chuireadh a thug sibh dom teacht anseo inniu agus as fáilte chaoin a chur sibh romham.
Good morning, everybody.
My thanks to David Poole for inviting me to be here this morning to perform the official opening of the Ana Liffey Drug Project’s new premises, and thanks also to the talented singers who gave all of us such a melodious welcome. Being here with you today gives me an opportunity to thank you for all that you have done over the past 22 years to alleviate the problem of drug addiction in the inner city area of Dublin and to congratulate you on achieving another major milestone in your history – the purchasing and refurbishment of these very fine premises here in Middle Abbey Street, your very own building for the first time and after a 10 years search for the right place. You have chosen well. Comhghairdeas libh go léir inniu.
But a building after all, is just bricks and mortar, no matter how ornate, well designed or suitably located as these obviously are. It is a vehicle for the delivery of services and it is the Ana Liffey Drug Project’s services which have changed lives for the better. You will fill this house with the same spirit of caring professionalism which has been at the heart of the service from the start, an acceptance of human beings without judgment, an unconditional offer of support to drug users and their families, an unshakeable belief in the right of every human being to the fullest dignity and respect. In the struggle to get this building and in the quality of its finish there is a strong message that the users of this service matter, their lives, their futures matter, not just to those who work with them on the Project but to the wider community without whose support and funding this house would not exist. It is an important message of social inclusion to those whose lives or lifestyles so often put them at the margins, on the outside.
No two human beings are the same whether they abuse drugs or not and this Project faces the hard reality that some may want help to tackle their addiction and some may not.
Your harm-reduction approach’ has worked well as has the principle of “journeying with people”, accompanying them on their life’s journey without insisting on being in complete control of the destination.
We know that people get involved in drugs for many reasons and we know too that whatever those reasons, drugs bring a whole complex of fresh problems of their own which impact on the individual user and everyone around him or her, from family, to friends, from community to country. They leave a trail of wasted lives and of damage which is tragic and heartbreaking, a cycle of misery which is so off-putting that many are tempted to wash their hands of it. But just as drug taking doesn’t solve the problems or pressures that often drive people to their use, so ignoring problems, no matter how intractable, does nothing to break the cycle. The people who started and sustained this project rolled up their sleeves and got busy, trying to understand the shallow allure of drugs, trying to find effective ways out of the maze they make of so many lives.
What you have created is a positive network of support and encouragement that reaches deep into the complexities of people lives, into their context, coming at their problems not with a one size fits all answer but with a range of opportunities extending from counselling to peer support training programmes, low threshold contact to a children’s project, adult literacy, an art group and literacy training. And there’s more, much more. In so many very practical ways, the Project will not concede to either the addict or society the comfort of believing that nothing can be done.
The National Drugs Strategy provides a vital framework for developing a more holistic, responsive service for drug addicts by bringing together into a single framework all those involved in drug misuse policy in this country. Making that strategy work, making it real in peoples lives is down to those who have made this difficult work their vocation. Their enthusiasm, determination and selflessness are as exceptional as it is heartening but what really lifts all of us is the commitment of addicts and their families to improving their life’s journey. When they come across this threshold, into this wonderful new Project home, they make the service relevant, they make the work worthwhile and they encourage faith in the capacity of the human person to overcome the most difficult of obstacles.
My sincere thanks to everyone involved in making this day happen, among them, the National Drugs Strategy Team, the North Inner Local Drugs Taskforce and the Northern Area Health Board who were each hugely supportive. May I congratulate everyone at the Ana Liffey Drugs Project for all that you have done to enhance the lives of drug users. In helping to make them strong, to make of them problem solvers rather than problems, you have made a huge investment in individuals and in our country. It was never done for thanks or for recognition but on this day of celebration and pride in your achievements, I say a warm thank you for all we owe you. I am delighted to now declare the Ana Liffey Drugs Project premises officially open.
Comhghairdeas libh arís. Go maire sibh. Go raibh maith agaibh go léir.