Case for treatment

I support Iain Duncan Smith and the Centre for Social Justice in urging that the National Treatment Agency be replaced by an Addiction Recovery Board – particularly as we both know the life-threatening emptiness of the claim made in your report (19 July) by the NTA that the number of people "successfully completing treatment free of dependency" rose to 25,000 in 2008-09, about 12% of those who were in "effective" treatment". We analysed this claim and found that only 2% of people desperately seeking help actually became drug-free. Out of 24,656 patients, 15,656 stopped using one drug – but were using others. This is equivalent to saying that an alcoholic has completed treatment free of dependency on whiskey, but is now dependent on vodka, brandy, high-strength lagers. That leaves a maximum of only 8,980 patients who completed treatment "free of dependency (no drug use) and not using any illicit drugs at the time of exit". Even here, a reality check is needed – a more detailed breakdown is available on our website . Deirdre Boyd Addiction Recovery Foundation