Britain to reward addicts for quitting
LONDON, Jan. 27 (UPI)—Britain’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has a plan to reward reforming drug addicts with a variety of gifts.
The Daily Mail said that the British health group announced that those drug addicts who successfully manage to wean themselves off drugs would receive shopping vouchers, televisions or iPods as rewards.
While officials at the institute claim the rewards would ultimately prove to be cost effective, many throughout Britain pointed out its immediate flaws.
“If you just rely on rewards for abstinence and you’re not treating people’s complex problems, you are not going to change the behavior,” said Mike Trace, an official with Rehabilitation of Addicted Prisoners Trust.
“Incentives must go hand-in-hand with ready access to clinical services,” LibDem health spokesman Sandra Gidley said. “A free Big Mac is no substitute for sessions with a psychologist.”
NICE officials said their efforts to encourage drug addicts to move forward in their lives saves funds as what is spent on treatment saves nearly 10 times the amount in health and crime costs.
