"The associations that carry out free voluntary welfare work in the town of Düsseldorf are committed to the well-being of all people in the municipal area - irrespective of sex, parentage, race, language, home country and origin, belief, religious or political views. Out of this obligation arises the willingness to continue the work of assisting drug users within the social context of the town of Düsseldorf in an independent and joint manner for the well-being of those concerned." (Statute of the Düsseldorfer Drogenhilfe e. V.; 2004)

Düsseldorf's social welfare associations achieve these motives and intentions expressed in the preamble by their assumption of responsibility for assistance to drug users in Düsseldorf through their joint sponsorship of the drug assistance association Düsseldorfer Drogenhilfe e. V.

Conception of society

As a rule, societies are based on a cultural tradition and satisfy the needs of people for self-preservation as well as stimulation. They are inseparably linked to the idea of social order, which is intended to ensure social stability in an ever-changing environment.

The relationships people have with one another are characterised by a normative social structure, often derived from ethical and moral ideas. Since norms are accepted and followed in most cases, they bring order to the social processes and make actions as well as reactions predictable to a certain extent. The fact that they reduce the complex nature of social interactions (in the reciprocal condition of enabling, strengthening and feedback) means that, on the one hand, they enable one to live together with others in a community but, on the other hand, they also restrict each individual's behavioural options.

The more important a value is for social coexistence the greater the efforts made to enforce its worth. That is why the observance of morals and customs, rules and taboos is subject to being controlled by society and is steered by rewards as well as punishments. These external evaluations mark the inner developmental processes of every individual, whose behaviour is not just geared towards other people but is even given meaning and direction by them in the first place.

Adults are expected to know and observe most of these norms so that they do not attract unwanted attention in public. That is why being able to deal with the violation of norms in a civilised way is a firm component of social rules. Deviations could range from mere eccentricity to criminal behaviour. In our society, such action is not just tackled as deviant behaviour, but one is also expected to show un-derstanding for causes, backgrounds and social problems.

Conception of man

Every person has an intrinsic value. Since people basically have the potential to grow and develop, they are capable of making changes as well as finding solutions. They have the ability to act, to feel, to think, to decide and to desire.

The reference system of these potential abilities consists, on the one hand, of its physical and intellectual conditions as well as, on the other hand, of its environment. As all individuals are part of systems, their actions must be seen within their specific contexts. That means that their ways of processing information and their perception processes are both intra-active as well as interactive. They lead to a subjectively interpreted reality - on whose basis all individuals either plan and carry out an action or delay, interrupt or refrain from carrying out an action.

No two individuals are the same. This diverseness must be respected by every person's style and mode of expression being taken seriously, by their contrariness being respected and their otherness being accepted.

Mission statement

Our actions decisively influence the way we are perceived by others and their relationship to us. That is why our mission statement has to correspond to what we do and experience in practice. It is not static but - just like us - something that is in perpetual motion. It has a past history from which it has been developed. We will gain new insights and experience new things, evaluate them and derive from them concrete visions of the future for potential actions. And our mission statement will develop further in one or another direction.

Düsseldorfer Drogenhilfe …

… performs a social mission.

As part of this society, we respect its values, norms and rules. With our clientele, we promote the view that all human beings are responsible for their actions and the consequences arising from them.

Our job is to minimise or avert the consequences of risky drug consumption or addiction that is so damaging to society. And in such a way, we make a contribution towards social harmony.

… respects people – with all their strengths and weaknesses.

We offer help without moralising, patronizing or judging. That is why we take care of those who wish to live a life without drugs or who are not quite sure and support them by giving them help even during their period of addiction.

We feel we are committed to the values that enable people to live independently, in dignity and according to their own beliefs. This means that we regard people as self-determining subjects with rights as well as responsibilities.

Those in danger of becoming addicts, drug addicts and their contacts accept our services on a voluntary basis and have a right to remain anonymous. We only give out information with their consent, unless they or a third party are at risk and this risk cannot be averted in any other way.

… enables people to start the process of withdrawal.

We do not demand that people have a desire to live without drugs and change the way they live their lives, but we regard this desire as a possible end result of our work.

By giving survival assistance, we reduce the risks of drug taking and help people to survive the dependency phase without - if possible - suffering any irreversible damage.

By giving help with everyday tasks, we support those affected by the unpredictable nature of their everyday life as an addict and carefully and persistently deal with crises when they turn up.

Without dogmatically urging people to give up drugs, our assistance with coming off them is targeted at permanent abstinence and social (re-)integration.

… acts on behalf of those affected in an objectively biased way.

In our professional relationships, we take on the relevant and fact-based advocacy for those concerned. Objective partiality is a professional attitude that means that we act in favour of those concerned without relinquishing our professional detachment. It does not claim to be totally right and completely free of value judgements, but it does claim to be transparent, communicable and criticisable.

In acknowledgement of social imbalances, we help our clientele to stand up for their rights and confront developments that could lead to disadvantages and stigmatisation. To do so, we engage with people seeking our advice at their level and, together with them, look for some room for manoeuvre so that they can put their lives in order.

… spans the social network of the town together with others.

When working with people seeking advice, we are guided by the latest state of scientific research, our professional experience and the results gained our exchange of views with other professionals.

In the interests of designing the municipal system of aid in a more effective way, we make our many years of experience available and work as a reliable partner together with various institutions and professional groups. While doing so, we respect the diversity of their work-related tasks and their professional action.

With the interlocking and complementing instruments of prevention, damage minimisation, therapy and repression (the four-pillar approach), effective help is available in Düsseldorf, help that simultaneously fulfils the need of the population for more security in the public sphere.

… offers services provided by its competent professional staff.

Our members of staff have a great deal of personal, social, methodological and negotiating skills.

For us, personal skills means thinking about oneself, reflecting on one's actions, being aware of one's limitations and developing oneself further in a continuous, ongoing process.

With the term social skills, we mean being sensitive towards the needs and wishes of others, respecting other people's opinions and values, accepting responsibility as a member of a group and championing the concerns of the facility both internally and externally.

Methodological competence means developing and successfully applying expert knowledge, knowing and pursuing psychosociological and other approaches, having the opportunity to use a wide variety of methods and developing visions.

With the term "decision-making and responsibility", we understand this to be designing work in a systematic and target-oriented way and checking it in a critical manner, pinpointing and solving problems as well as carefully handling money and items.

… is oriented towards growth.

We strive towards the preservation of the status quo as well as towards further growth and are willing to overcome resistance, deal with conflicts as well as to acknowledge errors and correct them.

We overcome the limits of traditional social work because we go on a voyage of discovery and are open to the unusual. By allowing ourselves to consider anything, we remain inventive. When seeking compromises, we rub up against each other and thus grow further.

An sincerely meant piece of praise helps to increase motivation. But we also regard criticism and complaints as a chance to further develop ourselves and so we deal with them in a professional manner.

Grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference.

Grant us the patience with changes,
that require time,
and the appreciation of all that we have,
tolerance towards those with other difficulties
and the strength to get up and try again
just for today.

based on Friedrich Christoph Oetinger (1702 - 1782)