Drug addiction cure: Rehab awareness among kin grows

Saudi Gazette report JEDDAH — No official information is available on drug addiction cases among Saudis, especially women, said an official at Al-Amal Hospital in Jeddah. However, the official, who requested anonymity, pointed out that the hospital receives one or two female addicts daily. The number of women admitted at hospital for treatment varies from one month to another. “We receive four to nine cases of female addicts monthly for admission,” the official was quoted by Al-Hayat. According to the official, addiction cases among Saudi women are much less compared to their male counterparts. “Influence of male relatives including father, husband and brother is the main reason for addiction among women. Daughters often follow their fathers’ example,” he said. Treatment for addicts, especially women, is accorded total privacy, the official said. “Privacy is the hallmark of our institution,” he insisted. He said there is growing awareness among Saudi families on providing treatment to their addicts. “Some young men and women approach us for treatment without the knowledge of their families. We have a policy in addiction treatment and we follow it strictly.” The women’s section at the hospital was opened three years ago. There are 11 beds in the section with nine of them allocated for admitted patients. “There is a bed for observation and another for intensive care,” he explained. He said women take various types of drugs. Those aged between 18 to 26 use cannabis and alcohol while women in the age group of 26 to 35 take sleeping pills like Valium and Restoril. Speaking about treatment programs at the hospital, he said: “We start with detoxification, which will take about one to two weeks. Patients can either stay in the hospital or go home during this treatment. Family visits help socialization of addicts.” The second phase of the treatment also takes about two weeks when patients’ ability to resist drug intake is strengthened. The third rehabilitation phase takes about three weeks. After discharge from hospital, patients are required to make follow-up visits at outpatient clinics once a week in the first month and once in two weeks later to ensure they don’t return to addiction. “Follow-up visits should continue for a year as per US and Canadian regulations for addiction treatment,” the official said. Speaking about the reasons for growing drug addiction cases, the official said: “They include weak religious faith, family disintegration due to divorce or separation or absence of one of the parents, anxiety to taste drugs, bad friends and foreign tours.”