Archbishop challenges culture of excess

The Archbishop of Wales says action must be taken to address the culture of excess behind drug and alcohol addictions.

Dr Barry Morgan made the call at the opening yesterday of The Living Room, a new day-care rehabilitation centre for addicts in Cardiff.

He said: “We live in a society that increasingly not just turns a blind eye to the dangers of doing things in excess but seems actively to encourage it.

"A good night out, for example, is commonly defined by how much you had to drink and people share the tales of the ‘funny’ things they did when they were ‘off their heads’.”

The Archbishop likened addiction to a mental illness, as he warned that without adequate support most addicts would not be able to recover.

He lamented the toll that addiction was taking on individuals and families in Wales, as well as the police and health services having to deal with the consequences.

He said initiatives like The Living Room, due to open next year, offered a radical new way of treating people with addictions that could help curb the culture of excess.

"This is a project which not only offers practical, holistic help for people with addictions but also shows them a new way of life, giving them the key to transform their lives,” he said.

"It uses Christian principles to restore people’s confidence in themselves and give them the inner faith and strength they need to overcome their addictions.

"At its heart is giving people time and attention, listening and advising them, treating them as the individuals they are.”

The Archbishop has penned an Easter prayer for the Welsh Council on Alcohol and Other Drugs in which he speaks of the new life offered by God in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

He said: “It doesn’t matter who we are, what we’ve done in the past or what we’re struggling with – God meets us all where we are and offers us the chance to begin again and have hope for the future.”

Wynford Ellis Owen, Chief Executive of the Welsh Council on Alcohol and Other Drugs said: “We are delighted to publish the Archbishop’s prayer, because it identifies the issues right at the very heart of the misuse of alcohol and drugs in our society today.

“This a very exciting time for the Welsh Council on Alcohol and Other Drugs as we get closer to establishing the first Living Room in Wales. Eventually, through cooperating with other providers, we hope that every major town throughout Wales will have its own Living Room facility.”