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Further development
As Club work developed, it became increasingly clear
that it was very important to establish co-operation between private (Clubs of
alcoholics in treatment) and public (social and health institutions) activities.
In 1987, prof. Hudolin suggested the foundation of Functional Alcohol Centres
for organising this kind of work in Italy. Since then, many Alcohol Centres were founded in Italy, with various names and belonging
to various organisations, more or less functionally or organically formed.
In the last ten years a great number of clubs in Italy have acquired
volunteer servant-teachers, non-professionals who completed the basic
Sensibilization Course and continue their training from time to time at special
short courses (they include housewives, teachers, lawyers, electricians,
bartenders, retired people, surveyors, engineers, chemists etc.). These
paraprofessionals from among Club members and the territory enriched Club work.
It is clear that they also brought some difficulties. Since such a major social
problem like alcoholism can not be solved only by professional health workers,
the efforts of non-professional volunteers mean a lot. Professionals often have
neither the will nor the knowledge for that kind of work.
Servant-teachers are not doctors, barefoot-doctors or otherwise. They are trained for tasks for which doctors are not adequately prepared.
The WHO published a special booklet manual for health
workers on the territory, their structure and organisation entitled “Drug
dependence and alcohol-related problems”.
Prof. Hudolin contributed to this work. It was published in many languages.
Those health workers today underpin not only work with alcohol-related problems
but also address many widespread difficulties. At Sensibilization Courses, in
the second part of the Course, prof. Hudolin used to ask participants to express
their opinion about the qualities that servant-teachers should and should not
have. The sum-up of one of those questionnaires
was showing the following:
|
YES |
NO |
|
Himself |
Racist |
|
Human |
Therapeutic |
|
Honest with himself |
Inquiring |
|
Discreet |
Intrusive |
|
Flexible |
Curious |
|
Tolerant |
To pretend |
|
Welcoming |
Judge |
|
Simple |
Ugly |
|
Empathetic |
Intransigent |
|
Friendly |
Aggressive |
|
Beautiful |
Concerted |
|
Adult |
Imperative |
|
Sociable |
Proud |
|
Able to listen |
Egoist |
|
Patient |
Bad |
|
More useful as possible |
Cold |
|
Well balanced |
Judging |
|
Competent |
Incompetent |
|
Neutral |
Replace the group |
|
Alert |
|
|
Sensible |
|
|
Interesting |
|
If you look closely you will see no one requires a
professional level.
In recent years clubs have begun to pay special
attention to multidimensional suffering. We observed multidimensional problems
in alcoholics families a long time ago, but we began to address them in the last
ten years. The most frequent combination of difficulties are simultaneously
connected to mental and psychiatric disorders, to using other psychoactive
substances, usually called drug addiction, to spiritual and existential
difficulties, aggressive and violent behaviour, risky behaviour and the problems
of single, skid row and homeless alcoholics. In order to organise the Club work
to include this multidimensional suffering, special courses are held in Italy to
educate servant-teachers and Club members for work with these people and prepare
them to accept such families.
During these courses special criteria and prerequisites were suggested for
accepting those families into the Club, especially in cases of a combination of
psychiatric disorders and the use of other psychoactive substance.
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