The Director of the General Department of Mental Health and Social Service at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Naif Al-Subhi, that the number of addiction treatment beds in the Kingdom has reached 1,374 beds distributed in 19 hospitals, pointing out that there are 607 families in 13 “middle-of-the-road” homes, which include rehabilitation programs.
Dr. explained. Al-Subhi told Al-Youm, on the sidelines of the first scientific forum of the “Recovery” Association, in cooperation with the Saudi Society for the Treatment of Addiction in Dammam, under the slogan “Challenges of Treatment and Rehabilitation”, that work is currently underway to build an addiction treatment center in Al-Ahsa Governorate with a capacity of 80 beds, and at a cost of 60 million. Rial. While he pointed out that plans are underway to establish 3 new “middle-of-the-road” centers.
addiction treatment decision
The Director of the General Department of Mental Health and Social Service at the Ministry of Health stated that the decision to treat addiction is a personal decision, and that the most important challenge they face is that those who want treatment are a small group, and most of them come through family or security coercion. Pointing out that most of the cases that come with an internal desire in which the recovery rate is very high.
He stressed the need to focus on the issue of awareness, to avoid reaching the last stop, which is “addiction”. Indicating that the family should talk to their children at an early age and advise them to avoid smoking and other addictions. Pointing out that 96% of the addicts were smokers.
Dr. mentioned. Al-Subhi said that the highest admissions in psychiatric hospitals due to addiction are those addicted to “narcotic cannabis.” Indicating that treatment for addiction depends on the case, and that not all cases require detoxification. Pointing out that the duration of treatment in removing toxicity is 21 days. He pointed out that in the absence of a bed for the next case for treatment, it is scheduled and given an appointment, and in the case of an emergency, the hospital is supposed to provide a bed for it. Pointing out that men use more drugs than women.
Addiction treatment and rehabilitation
The consultant psychiatrist and head of the scientific committee of the forum, Dr. Muhammad Al-Muqahwi, to focus on the most important experiences and expertise in the field of addiction treatment and rehabilitation, and to present some local experiences of different sectors.
And he indicated that there is a group of scientific workshops offered to specialists, whether psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers, or recovery counsellors, that focus on the most important skills needed by the therapist.
For his part, the Director of Studies at the National Committee for Drug Control, Dr. Sulaiman Al-Luhaidan: The committee aims to support treatment programs and services provided by entities, such as the Recovery Association and the Saudi Society for Addiction Treatment, and to modernize and develop scientific work in this field.
He stated that studies have shown that about two-thirds of drug addiction patients have suffered from severe psychological damage to themselves and their families, in addition to cases of violence, divorce, and others.
He added that most drug users do not realize the extent of this problem due to a lack of awareness about the danger of these substances, recommending that children be aware of the danger of these substances.
The first Arab plan to reduce the demand for drugs
For his part, the Director General of the Fund for Combating Addiction and Abuse in Egypt, Dr. Amr Othman, announced the launch of the first Arab plan to reduce the demand for drugs, which was approved last January, indicating that the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, will launch the plan at the end of this March.
And he said during a working paper entitled “The Experience of the Addiction and Recovery Fund in Egypt”: The plan took about a year, in consultation with all Arab agencies and countries, pointing out that it includes 3 axes, which are “databases, policy development, and the inclusiveness of all axes to reduce demand for drugs.” Drugs.
He explained that the three levels of addiction treatment consist of “prevention, early detection, treatment and rehabilitation, and community integration,” recommending the need to expand social and economic empowerment programs for recovering addicts for their role in reducing relapse, and creating a supportive legislative environment for small projects for recoverers, as well as developing business incubators. To support small projects for the recovered.
It is noteworthy that the conference includes 7 scientific sessions and 6 workshops, with the participation of 24 speakers from several countries. During the activities, they present the principles of treatment and rehabilitation, the role of official authorities in rehabilitation programs, and their basic components. The forum aims to introduce the difficulties and obstacles to rehabilitation of addicts in Saudi society, to review the legislation and regulations related to rehabilitation programs and training on some of the treatment methods used, and to discuss ways to rehabilitate special groups.