NCADD History and Mission

The Addiction Resource Council, Inc. is an affiliate organization of the National Council on Alcoholism and Other Drug Dependence. We model our mission and our services to assist in the national effort to reduce stigma and to educate Americans that alcoholism and other drug addictions are preventable and treatable.

Marty Mann (1904-1980) founded NCADD and dedicated her life to teaching the public that alcoholism is a preventable and treatable disease, not a moral failing. She was living proof that alcoholics are capable of recovery. Today, 80% of Americans understand her message and are far more open about acknowledging the destructive effect of alcohol and other drugs. But, they still too often blame the sufferer, producing a moral stigma that infects its victims with shame and denial.

In an effort to refocus on Marty Mann's vision of NCADD, NCADD Board of Directors adopted this Mission Statement in February 2000:

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

"An Alcoholic is someone whose drinking causes a problem in any department of his life."

Marty Mann, New Primer on Alcoholism (1950)
Marty Mann, NCADD Founder

NCADD ACHIEVEMENTS

NCADD produced the first radio and television ad campaigns to educate Americans about alcoholism and to prevent teenagers from drinking.

NCADD sponsored Operation Understanding which brought together more than 50 well-known and widely respected figures to announce their recovery from alcoholism in Washington, DC during the nation's bicentennial celebration.

NCADD pioneered the development of employee assistance programs that save corporate America millions of dollars each year.

NCADD succeeded in placing warning labels on all alcoholic beverage containers through its federal advocacy efforts.

NCADD promotes Alcohol Awareness Month in April.

NCADD established the national HOPE Line (800/NCA-CALL) which receives more than 30,000 pleas for help each year.

NCADD formally defined alcoholism in a 1992 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

NCADD staked an early claim on the internet with a website (www.ncadd.org) that now attracts 10,000 visitors per month.

NCADD maintains a Registry of Addiction Recovery (ROAR), a volunteer program that encourages Americans all over the country to speak openly about their experiences with addiction.

NCADD SERVES

• Alcoholics and Their Families
• Children, Teenagers and Their Parents
• Government Policy Makers
• The Media
• The Medical Community
• Medical Researchers
• Public Health Professionals
• Educators
• Other National Health Organizations

This information was taken from the NCADD website. For more information on the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence visit their website at www.ncadd.org.