Sudz No More

You would think that most agencies would try to get these people treatment and then give their sobriety meaning by giving them work. But rewarding them by enabling them seems detrimental to their own causes.

Alcoholics paid in BEER to clean the streets in Amsterdam in government-funded project | Mail Online

DAB

If they could substitute the rolling tobacco for weed I'd move there!
Just kidding, that's crazy. It may not help the alcoholics but at least they are being somewhat productive.

least

That doesn't make sense to me, to enable their addiction like that and call it "meaningful" work.

BackToSquareOne

It sounds like a very good idea, they get 2 cans in the morning. They have to show up for work and do the work to get the rest , along with free healthy meals. This is spread out and is meant to get them back into life. Creative recovery in action.

EndGameNYC

It's a harm reduction model that's more popular in Europe than in the States.

We'll see what we shall see.

TomSawyer

Wait, there are government-funded heroin centers? Maybe it's the American in me, but that sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen.

soberhawk

We do also have government centers that provide heroin to some addicts here. And it is the American in you, continental Europe has a different legal system, there is no lawsuit waiting to happen.

This approach has been a little controversial here. I think you need to be careful with the screening of people, which people you offer such an approach. To help some people I think it is the right approach. Meet them where they are and try to remove the secondary stress their addiction is causing them.

PhaseTwo

I think it's a good thing. These people would just be getting drunk somewhere else anyway so why not let them help out. You could say it's enabling their addiction but the reality is they're going to keep drinking until they want to get sober whether or not the government has programs like this. If anything getting out of the house and feeling productive maybe will make them feel less down in the dumps and motivated to change.

Spinach

The daily mail, has a very reactionary editorial, and scrutiny to the stories often leads to another tale.
John.

Bubovski

Some new initiatives come across as quite insane in today's society.
Crass, dangerous and ad hoc patching up of very serious social issues.