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BAC-IN
(pronounced as ‘back in’)
‘BAC-IN TO LIFE’
Promoting
creative change and abstinence based recovery
BAC-IN provides a unique and innovative recovery programme
run by and for people from the African/Caribbean, South
Asian and Dual Heritage communities.
BAC-IN is a Peer Led service that is created and developed
from a ‘grass roots level’ by recovering individuals
supporting those who are affected directly and indirectly
(users, families & carers) by drugs/alcohol and related
issues.
Current recovery and treatment programmes that are offered
by existing services are unable to provide a culturally
sensitive model of support, this combined with the stigma,
denial and shame connected with drug and alcohol abuse in
some African/Caribbean and South Asian communities, leaves
those looking for help unsupported, disadvantaged and alone.
In these communities alcohol/drug abuse is often hidden
and denied. Mainstream services take little or no account
of spiritual and religious values and are unable to provide
for cultural dimensions that are crucial for the recovery
journey and personal development of individuals.
Many service users that attend BAC-IN have at some point
in their lives faced racism, isolation, exclusion, mistrust,
fear, rejection, cultural displacement, oppression, as well
as institutional barriers throughout their long struggle
to be free of their addiction to alcohol and drugs.
BAC-IN provides an alternative, which acknowledges diversity,
recognizes and values difference and welcomes a wide range
of cultural, psychosocial and spiritual perspectives to
abstinence based recovery and offender rehabilitation.
Bac-in is bridging the gap within the existing support services
by addressing the culturally sensitive/specific issues which
are crucial for ongoing recovery, this in turn is vital
in supporting and complementing the work being undertaken
by other service providers.
The following quotes are from service users; they highlight
and reflect the significant need of services offered by
BAC-IN:
”Talking to someone from your own culture gives
you peace of mind, they understand, they know where you
are coming from, can relate to them.”
One Service user speaking of his experience of existing
mainstream services:
“They are not culturally empathic, there’s
no fairness of treatment, a lot of distrust with them, cultural
identification is important, and experience of empathy is
too.”
‘On and off I’ve been receiving treatment
from mainstream services for over 17 years, it was only
through BAC-IN I was able to get recovery, deal with my
cultural and mental issues as well as achieve abstinence
after years of substituting one drug for another and being
cross addicted.’
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