The National Council on Alcoholism and other Drug Addictions-Bay Area has been providing prevention services for alcohol and other drug problems throughout the San Francisco Bay Area since 1957. This Council is an affiliate of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD), the oldest voluntary organization fighting alcoholism and drug dependence. Our organization is staffed by professionals and dedicated volunteers.

Our mission is to reduce the prevalence and consequences of the disease of alcoholism and other drug addictions. NCADA-BA seeks to prevent the disease of alcoholism and drug addictions by educating the public about chemical dependency, encouraging proper diagnosis, treatment, and a continuum of care for substance users and loved ones affected by alcohol and other drugs.

Dependency on alcohol and drugs will respond favorably to treatment and the related damage to families and loved ones can be repaired. We offer the kind of support you are looking for, including individual screening and assessment, referrals to detoxification and substance-abuse facilities, a State-approved DUI Program for first offenders, classroom-based youth programming, continuing-education for a variety of professionals and other special programs designed to further the understanding and management of chemical dependency.

NCADD FOUNDER - MARTY MANN

Marty Mann (1904-1980) founded NCADD and dedicated her life to teaching the public that alcoholism is a preventable and treatable disease, not a moral failing. She articulated three fundamental organizational concepts that have informed the development of the modern alcoholism treatment movement:

• Alcoholism is a disease, and the alcoholic is a sick person;
• The alcoholic can be helped and is worth helping;
• This is a public health problem and a public responsibility.

Marty received numerous awards for her pioneering work in the field of alcoholism treatment and was appointed in 1948 by the State Department to be a member of the official United States delegation to the International Congress on Alcoholism. She was also appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson to the first national advisory commission on alcoholism in 1965 and testified before Congress a number of times on issues related to alcoholism and treatment. She was living proof that alcoholics are capable of recovery and while it was noted that Alcoholics Anonymous ought not engage in public debate, Marty felt individuals in recovery had a responsibility to inform their fellow citizen's about the disease of alcoholism and the hope of recovery. Her impact on the field of alcoholism was felt right away, particularly in the area of increased access to hospital care for alcoholics: in 1944, fewer than 100 general hospitals accepted acute cases of alcoholism; by 1953 over 3,000 hospitals offered such care. Additionally, a 1957 Roper poll showed that 58% of the nation viewed alcoholism as a disease, compared to just six per cent in 1943, the year before NCADD was founded.