Addiction help center gets up to 95 calls a day

Mishal Al-Otaibi Saudi Gazette RIYADH — Al-Rasheed National Center for addiction consultancy reported it received up to 95 calls a day from family members of addicts seeking help. Anti-Drugs National Committee Rehabilitation Programs Head Ali Al-Shibani said the center received a total of more than 11,994 calls from citizens and residents over the past seven months. “The center is new and it only opened seven months ago. Yet, it already received a significant number of callers seeking advice and help regarding their addict family members,” said Al-Shibani. He said the center received calls from all 13 provinces of the Kingdom. “Most of the calls were from Riyadh. There have been a total of 4,222 calls from Riyadh, 1,843 of the calls from Makkah, 1,133 calls from the Eastern Province and 789 calls from Asir,” said Al-Shibani. Of the remaining calls, Madinah accounted for 658, Al-Jouf (625), Al-Qassim (591), Tabuk (421), Jazan (389), Hail (388), Al-Baha (370), Najran (291) and the Northern Borders (273). The center can be reached by calling 1955. Al-Shibani said most callers ask about rehabilitation programs and treatment for drug addicts. “Most of the callers are women. They ask for help and treatment for fathers, husbands, sons or brothers. The center and the committee are more than happy to receive such calls and give advice-seekers guidance,” said Al-Shibani. He said the committee opened the center to facilitate communication and raise awareness about drugs and the addiction problem in the Kingdom.