The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence fights the stigma and the disease of alcoholism and other drug addictions.

For Over 50 Years, The Voice of Americans Fighting Alcoholism

1984 - 1993

"Our courageous commitment to education, public information and innovative prevention policies, implemented through support for enlightened public policies concerning alcohol, have won us widespread respect within the field of alcoholism and a growing list of new friends in other fields eager to share in our efforts to provide a safer, healthier world for our children and our children's children."          Wheelock Whitney, chairman and          Martha B. Baker, president, 1984. "If each one of us whose life has been touched by alcoholism--whether we be husband, wife, father, mother, daughter, son, brother or sister--writes a letter or makes a phone call to a member of Congress, we finally may break through the stigma that still influences policy decisions regarding one of our most serious public health problems."          Harold Hood, chairman, 1992. As NCADD entered its fifth decade, it seemed that many of Marty's early goals had been achieved. 80% of the American public understood that alcoholism is a disease, the majority of the middle class had access to treatment through private health insurance and attendance at self-help groups had soared. Membership in ASAM, which began certifying physicians specializing in addiction medicine, had grown so large by 1984 that it no longer made sense to remain under NCADD's umbrella. However, the two groups continued to meet together annually until 1991 and today are represented on each other's boards. Different kinds of problems now confronted NCADD and an increasingly fragmented field. When it became clear that younger alcoholics were commonly addicted to more than one substance, NCADD expanded its mission to include other drugs in 1987, adding Drug Dependence to its name in 1990 to reflect this change. And with kids using alcohol at earlier ages and in greater numbers than ever before, NCADD gradually shifted its focus to preventing alcohol-related problems through educational efforts targeted at youth and by addressing environmental factors that shaped public attitudes about drinking. AFFILIATES PROVIDE COMMUNITIES WITH PREVENTION PROGRAMS The BABES program, conceived by the Detroit Affiliate and one of the first to be honored with NCADD's new prevention awards, spread quickly around the country during the 80s. Teaching lessons in story form and using age-appropriate materials--including puppets and videos--BABES, like many other innovative programs developed by NCADD Affiliates, gave communities the basic information and tools to take prevention into their own hands. At the national level, President Reagan signed legislation in 1984 that resulted in a minimum drinking age of 21, just two years after NCADD had outlined this goal in its controversial prevention position statement. By 1990, NCADD would see two more of its prevention strategies implemented at the federal level: excise taxes were raised on beer and wine for the first time in almost 30 years and warning labels began appearing on alcoholic beverage containers. PREVENTION EMPHASIS ATTRACTS NEW SUPPORT NCADD's emphasis on prevention--also apparent in a project with Weekly Reader for young schoolchildren and "Say No. And Say Yes To Your Life," a new Ad Council campaign featuring a rap star as its spokesman--attracted new donors, including Leonard Firestone, Laurance Rockefeller and Joan Kroc. Their gifts allowed NCADD to set general support fundraising records in both 1986 and 1987. Women's issues also came to the forefront of NCADD's agenda during the 80s. A grant from the Ford Foundation in 1987 made possible an important study of publicly funded women's alcoholism programs. This put NCADD in a position to lead a coalition to demand improved access to treatment for alcohol and other drug dependent women and their children. And what today is known as Alcohol- and Other Drug-Related Birth Defects Awareness Week was initiated by a joint congressional resolution signed by President Reagan in 1984. Alcohol Awareness Month, NCADD's other major awareness program--which had evolved from Alcohol Information Week and was now kicked off by Alcohol-Free Weekend--drew support in 1990 from Surgeon General Antonia Novello, MD who agreed to serve as honorary chair, and the federal Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. Dr. Novello urged the nation "to draw the line against underage drinking" and hundreds of grassroots group across the country participated in the greatly expanded campaign with NCADD-developed materials distributed by the government. HOPE-LINE REACHES LARGE AUDIENCE Improving technology enabled NCADD to reach even larger audiences with its message. Since NCADD inaugurated its toll-free service during the Betty Ford Story on ABC-TV in 1987, more than 250,000 Americans have called for information about alcoholism and referral to local services through NCADD Affiliates. Both the broadcast and print media--from "Good Morning America" to "Dear Abby"--have publicized the service dozens of times. A 1990 Ad Council campaign incorporated it and urged the "significant others" of teenagers with drinking problems to call NCADD's Hope Line for help. But even as it made progress in preventing alcoholism and other drug addictions, NCADD began facing a critical challenge in the 90s: a national health care crisis all but eliminated insurance coverage for the treatment of these diseases. 1994 - 2001

National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc.

244 East 58th Street, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10022 phone: 212/269-7797   fax: 212/269-7510 email: national@ncadd.org   http://www.ncadd.org HOPE LINE: 800/NCA-CALL (24-hour Affiliate referral)