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Welcome to The Addiction Action Campaign

The Addiction Action Campaign is a registered non-profit organization that exists for the benefit of all South Africans regardless of race, religion, culture or creed. The epidemic of addiction in our country is massive. Far greater than most people are aware of. One normally thinks of addiction in terms of illegal drugs and alcohol, but millions of South Africans are addicted to a vast range of addictions such as illegal substances, legal substances as well as behaviours.

The A.A.C. exists to reduce the harm caused by the existence and sale of addictive products or services whether they are legal or illegal. One must therefore focus on the demand and on Harm Reduction.

The demand for addictive substances etc. will never end unless people are properly educated from at least the age of 7 years old. However, suppliers must be held financially accountable for the rehabilitation costs of people wishing to receive treatment as industries are responsible to a certain degree.

We have a clear vision and mission for South Africa and we believe that it is possible to greatly reduce the effects of substance abuse and addiction on society.

Our Perspective

(see also The Prevention of and Treatment for Substance Abuse Act)

1. South Africa has become dependent to income generated from the sale of addictive products or services. Government must ensure that S.A. becomes independent of its dependency to sin taxes and other taxes earned from addiction.
2. South Africa’s dependency to income derived from addictive products and or services, actually ENABLES ADDICTION. All this income should be used exclusively for the purposes of addiction & substance abuse treatment and prevention.
3. Industries that sell addictive products or services are responsible for the treatment costs of people who are addicted to their products etc. Namely cigarette, alcohol, casinos, pornographers and pharmaceutical companies etc.. If an industry profits from a dependency, i.e. if people cannot control their intake of a product or service because they are addicted to it, then the level spending on harm reduction must match the level of profit made from that dependency.
4. The country’s consciousness concerning the severity of addiction in S.A. needs to change. Government must become actively involved in educating South Africans about the dangers of using ANY substance, product or service which is addictive.
5. More people in S.A. are addicted to a substance, product, service or behaviour than there are people living with HIV/AIDS. Government must publicly admit this fact and present a plan of action to the South African people on how they will strive towards a society free of addiction.
6. The most dangerous addictive services and products are all legal. If alcohol or cigarettes were invented today, they would be illegal because they are so dangerous. Government must do everything in its power to reduce the harm that these products cause to South Africans.
7. South Africa’s law makers and industry professionals must accept Harm Reduction philosophies and implement strategies which ensure that if harm is being caused, then there must be accountability and programs in place to reduce such harm.
8. Every South African has a basic human right to proper health care. We believe that every South African has a right to high quality addiction treatment which is affordable. Unfortunately, this is not the case. 95% of people needing addiction treatment do not have access to treatment because it is unaffordable and only available in English and Afrikaans.
9. Addiction is a neglected issue. Addiction & substance abuse kills more people in S.A. annually than HIV/AIDS does. Yet, no provisions are made for the issue through current CSR funding programs or from international philanthropic foundations.
10. The last study on the effects of addiction on society was completed in 1996. This study was incomplete as it only measured certain substances and neglected addictive behaviours. The effect and extent of addiction & substance abuse in South Africa needs to be officially measured if we are to effectively deal with the issue as whole.

Harm Reduction is a set of practical strategies that reduce negative consequences of substance misuse and addictive behaviours and incorporates a spectrum of strategies from safer use, to managed use to abstinence. Harm Reduction strategies meet people “where they’re at,” addressing conditions of use along with the use itself. Because Harm Reduction demands that interventions and policies designed to serve this sector of individuals reflect specific individual and community needs, there is no universal definition of or formula for implementing Harm Reduction.

However, The AAC considers the following principles central to addiction and substance abuse Harm Reduction ethics.

• Accepts, for better and for worse, that licit and illicit drug use is part of our world and chooses to work to minimize its harmful effects rather than simply ignore or condemn them.
• Understands addiction and substance abuse as a complex, multi-faceted phenomenon that encompasses a continuum of behaviours from severe abuse to total abstinence, and acknowledges that some ways of using are clearly safer than others.
• Establishes quality of individual and community life and well-being, not necessarily cessation of all use, as the criteria for successful interventions and policies.
• Calls for the non-judgmental, non-coercive provision of services and resources to people who are addicted to substances or behaviours and the communities in which they live in order to assist them in reducing attendant harm.
• Ensures that people living with addiction and those with a history of misuse routinely have a real voice in the creation of programs and policies designed to serve them.
• Affirms people living with addiction are themselves primary agents of reducing the harms of their use, and seeks to empower them to share information and support each other in strategies which meet their actual conditions of use.
• Recognizes that the realities of poverty, class, racism, social isolation, past trauma, sex-based discrimination and other social inequalities affect both people’s vulnerability to and capacity for effectively dealing with addiction elated harm.
• Does not attempt to minimize or ignore the real and tragic harm and danger associated with addiction for users and people whose lives are affected by those who are addicted.
• Understands that while addictive products and services have the right to be a part of the free market system, it can never be alright to profit from addiction.
• Expects from those causing harm and or who profit from addiction to measure the harm they are causing, either directly or indirectly, and become financially responsible and accountable for their actions.