Development and research work

The aim of most development projects is to test, very practically, the applicability of new prevention, treatment or rehabilitation methods in the context of the current alcohol and drug situation in Finland. There are a few broad themes for development projects: prevention of social exclusion, special services for children, young people and their important others, development of telematic methods in alcohol and drug prevention (e.g. provision of information, addiction tests, self-help methods, e-mail counselling), and new methods of dealing with dependence on hard drugs (low threshold services, syringe exchange, substitution treatment). Several projects are implemented as part of larger national projects or involve transnational co-operation, funded in part by the European Union.

A few scientific research projects are in progress in the Foundation's central office, in Järvenpää Addiction Hospital and in various local units. The research projects draw on varying disciplines, including social work, sociology, psychology, social psychology, nursing science and medicine.