Dr. J. Donovan Ross (an Edmonton physician), the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Alcoholics Anonymous and other concerned citizens created the Alcoholism Foundation of Alberta (AFA) in 1951. Two years later the Foundation opened its first office and clinic in what used to be a billiards parlour in Edmonton. (McDougall House still houses an AADAC funded service.) Several clients arrived seeking services on that first day. In 1954 a similar centre opened in Calgary.
Over the years, AADAC's clientele has changed. In the early 1950s most clients were white males, 45-55 years old, in poor health, without jobs and without families by the time they came into treatment. Now youth, women and Aboriginal people are very much part of the AADAC treatment and prevention service profile.
The Foundation grew and in 1965 became the Division of Alcoholism under the Department of Health. In the 1960s, community detox programs replaced hospital-based detoxification. In 1971, Alberta passed the Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Act, which created the Alberta Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Commission (AADAC), a semi-autonomous government agency. That year AADAC added prevention and treatment of drug dependency to its mandate.
In 1985 the name of the Act was amended again and AADAC's name changed slightly. "Alcoholism" became "Alcohol." In 1989, AADAC consolidated its focus on youth. In 1994 AADAC added problem gambling to its responsibilities. In March 2002, Alberta introduced the Alberta Tobacco Reduction Strategy (ATRS) - giving AADAC the mandate to lead and coordinate tobacco reduction efforts on behalf of the government of Alberta.
AADAC has always taken a holistic approach - involving a client's family, spouse, employer and physician in treatment delivery. AADAC continues to work closely with organizations like Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-Step programs and non-profit organizations. In the early 1970s, AADAC expanded its treatment alliances to fund three Aboriginal treatment programs. Today AADAC funds more than 30 community programs as partners in prevention, information and treatment service delivery.
AADAC has hosted or co-hosted several major conferences: in 1954, the first Alberta Conference on Alcohol Studies, in 1985 the International Council on Alcohol and Addictions (ICAA), in 1989 the second meeting of the Network of Heads of Alcohol Centres (under the ICAA), in 1994 the first inter-provincial conference on problem gambling, in 1998 the first UN Youth Drug Abuse Prevention Forum (at Banff) and in 2000 the Professional Addictions Conference.
In 1997, AADAC represented Canada at the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs, helping to put demand reduction on the international agenda.
From its first days, AADAC included prevention in its mandate and the community in its prevention efforts. In 1981, AADAC launched a mass media campaign, the first ever in Canada, as part of a province-wide youth prevention program. The campaign inaugurated an edgy and creative magazine for teens called Zoot Capri, along with lively television and radio commercials. In 1999 AADAC conducted another mass media campaign to promote resiliency. More recently, in 2002, AADAC participated with the Alberta Mentoring Partnership in a campaign to promote mentoring as a prevention tool for youth. The campaign aimed to recruit 300 new mentors in the Edmonton area. Successful, it was then expanded to include the whole province.
AADAC continues to lead in addictions information, prevention and treatment services both nationally and internationally. AADAC staff are in demand as trainers, keynote speakers at conferences, and as members of committees provincially, nationally and internationally.
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