The mission of ADPA is to advocate for alcohol and other drug abuse prevention, intervention, and treatment services with appropriate quality and quantity to serve those requiring them. More specifically, ADPA is concerned for the services for special populations, e.g. pregnant women, women with dependent children, adolescents, and ethnic and racial minorities. ADPA is a champion for the special populations that don't get the attention they deserve and thus, the special services that are needed. ADPA continues to be the primary sponsor of the National Women's Issues Conference on Alcohol and Other Drugs. These concerns of ADPA are particularly acute as the country moves to a managed care environment and moves forward with welfare reform.
Biases run strong in the chemical dependency prevention and treatment field.
ADPA is a voice of reason, an independent, free thinking voice that is respected for its logic and concern for the whole and not any particular segment or part of the field. There is no common face to chemical dependency, just the destruction it creates. ADPA represents a voice that rises above what is best for the one and looks to what is best for whole, especially people who are at risk for or suffer from alcohol and other drug dependency. ADPA has chosen to use White Papers as a major way of communicating to the field regarding positions on major public policy in the field. From its inception, ADPA has never backed away from the controversial or denied the importance of individual involvement in the recovery process.