Institute for Addiction and Dependency
Since legal and illegal drug use as well as eating and behavioral disorders have more and more become serious problems in terms of dependency and addiction for the society, the Institute is aware of the following ethical and scientific challenges and tasks in the course of the academic program of FAU:
- the evaluation of existing treatment offerings by means of application-oriented addiction research in close cooperation with clinics, counseling centers and self-help groups, the testing of new therapy procedures and strategies and, thus, the contribution to the improvement of the provision of care
- the evaluation of primary prevention strategies, the development of additional and new strategies, their critical evaluation, and the creation of conditions for their implementation
- the contribution to basic research in cooperation with relevant university institutions and institutes
- the integration of the addiction research findings into the ongoing education of social workers and theologians
- the conduct of courses in continuing education for doctors, theologians, social workers, nursing staff, and other caregivers
- the training of addict assistants, addict counselors, and telephone consultants for drug addiction problems
- the accompaniment of addict assistants and telephone consultants, and the conduct of supervisions
- the contact maintenance and exchange of experience with out-patient and in-patient therapy centers initiated and managed by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and ideally, some networking
- the cooperation with the International Commission for the Prevention of Alcoholism and Drug Dependency (ICPA of the United Nations)
Although a lot of new knowledge could be gained in addiction research over the past 30 years, many questions still remain unanswered. The number of addicts increased significantly. Besides the usual legal and illegal drugs, there are now some new drugs, that present a threat especially for the youth. Every year more than 120,000 Germans die as a result of drug consumption. Considering the immediate environment of addicts, partners and children who are always affected, there are at least 10 million Germans who have to deal directly with dependency problems.
Unfortunately, there is a huge lack of information concerning addiction not only with the total population but also with doctors, nursing staff, theologians etc. Thus, accompanying graduates in their jobs is another important task of the Institute, in addition to scientific research, education, and the conduct of courses in continuing education.
Upon the Institute’s initiative, a symposium with the theme “The Importance of Spiritual Provision in Addiction Therapy” took place on November 11, 2001. The lectures of the well-known speakers were published in the University’s own magazine “Spes Christiana”.
The research work of the Institute solely pursues scientific and non-profit purposes.