title: Antwerp Drugs and Alcohol Monitor: a Belgian local drug scene in the picture.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Qualitative data on local drug scenes in Belgium are scarce. As information on them remains limited to the official registration systems, the needs of a number of drug users are not taken into account. From a social scientific and policy point of view, there is a need for information on the experiences and the patterns of drug use. In this study, we have developed and tested a drugs and alcohol monitor for the city of Antwerp.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Antwerp Drugs and Alcohol Monitor (ADAM) combines three qualitative methods: (i) in-depth interviews with 39 key informants; (ii) ethnographic fieldwork by four community fieldworkers; and (iii) ethnographic fieldwork by the researcher. This methodology is based on an analysis of national and international literature on drug-monitoring systems.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This paper presents an overview of the results of a pilot study in the city of Antwerp. The ADAM produces a detailed picture of the local drug issues (nature and extent of use, drug markets, quality of life, etc.) and thus offers the understanding that is required for a well-founded local drug policy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Provided that repeated measurements are made, a local drug monitor can inform policymakers, treatment experts, etc. on developments and phenomena concerning drug use. However, the ADAM is a qualitative drug-monitoring system, and it must be emphasised that a combined monitor is more efficient. Indeed, a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods enhances the reliability of the results.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Social Drug Research, University of Ghent, Ghent, Belgium. julie.tieberghien@ugent.be
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tieberghien
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Decorte
mesh_terms: D001530:Belgium / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic / Q000379:methods; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection / Q000379:methods*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control