QAAD members meet at Woodbrooke
'Making a Difference' is theme of QAAD conference
Spirituality was an important element in this year’s Quaker Action on Alcohol and Drugs (QAAD) conference held at the Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre in Birmingham between 29 and 31 July.
The theme of the event was ‘Making a Difference’. Attendees heard from keynote speaker professor Chris Cook of Durham University, a psychiatrist with many years’ experience in the field of addiction. He is also an Anglican priest with a unique insight into the impact of spirituality on the treatment of addiction.
Workshops were led by Marc Mordey, of Alcohol Concern, on how community development can help people think about alcohol issues, and Tim James, a retired GP and a trustee of QAAD, who asked delegates to consider ‘how and why spiritual connections are resisted’. Patsy Staddon, of Women’s Independent Alcohol Support, spoke on the benefits of working with women-only groups.
QAAD acknowledged that making a difference doesn’t have to be a major act. The conference was intended to provide ‘opportunities for sharing how seemingly small acts of listening, recognition and spiritual support can reach out and comfort’.
