This website serves to assist people who abuse drugs and alcohol, their families and other
interested and affected people. It also offers strategy information for roleplayers, and enables
service providers and treatment centres to register on the City's database.
Overview of the problem
"Alcohol and drug abuse has reached crisis proportions in the Cape metropole, with devastating
effects on the lives of thousands of Capetonians," says Executive Deputy Mayor Cllr Grant Haskin.
Professor Charles Parry, Director of the Medical Research Council's (MRC) Alcohol and Drug
Abuse Research Unit says that the Western Cape has the highest proportion of binge drinkers in
high school - 34% versus 23% for the national average. A third of adolescents aged 11 to 17 from
nine districts in Cape Town report having been drunk at least once in their lifetime.
According to the MRC, the number of people seeking treatment for methamphetamine (commonly
known as 'tik') has now overtaken those with alcohol problems. Among patients under 20 years,
six out of ten use tik as a primary or secondary substance of abuse.
Recent statistics also show that Cape Town has one of the highest number of heroin users in the
country - in excess of 15 000.
Besides the cataclysmic effects of drug and alcohol abuse on the individual and his/her family,
associated risks include an increase in TB, HIV and Aids, Hepatitis B (HBV) and Hepatitis C (HCV)
risk and infection. It is also well known that this type of abuse also encourages risky sexual
behaviour, criminality and violent behaviour.
Toll free 24/7 helpline: 0800 HELP 4 U (0800 435 748)
The City of Cape Town has launched a new toll-free helpline for people affected by alcohol and
drugs.
The 0800 Help 4 U or 0800 435 748 toll-free number is staffed 24 hours a day by eight
professional call centre operators, who are fluent in IsiXhosa, English and Afrikaans. Each
operator has passed a rigorous selection process and has undergone intensive training with
Substance Misuse Advocacy Research and Training (SMART), and the City's quality assurance
supervisor.
The operators are not counsellors - their role is to contain the call, and then immediately refer the
caller to the most appropriate treatment centres, of which there are currently eight (including a
state funded facility and three state-subsidised facilities) in Cape Town. The advantage is that
people using the service, who are often desperate, won't have to phone different numbers for
help. By using this single telephone number, they'll connect with someone who can offer them
hope, advise them on the best course of action, and connect them with 12-Step and other
community support groups where necessary.