More addicts in UAE seeking help voluntarily

Abu Dhabi: Although the rate of addiction to harmful substances is increasing rapidly, a significantly greater proportion of addicts are also seeking treatment voluntarily compared with a decade ago, senior addiction treatment officials said in the capital.

Nearly 80 per cent of people who approach the National Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) for treatment come in of their own accord, Dr Shamil Wanigaratne, consultant clinical psychologist and senior adviser to the NRC director-general, told Gulf News.

“Internationally, more and more people are becoming addicted to drugs and harmful substances, and this is the case in the UAE as well. In fact, our patient numbers have tripled over the last three years,” Dr Wanigaratne said.

“However, the fact that most of our patients seek treatment on their own is a positive sign in the fight against addiction. In fact, when the NRC was launched in 2002, all of our patients came here involuntarily, and only because they were referred here by families or law enforcement officials,” he added.

To counter the rise in the rate of addiction, the NRC, which offers specialist rehabilitation services to Emiratis suffering from addiction, has launched a nine-part series of training workshops to build capacity and knowledge among professionals in the sector. The first workshop, which began in the capital on Sunday, focuses on ethical issues in dealing with addicts and their families.

“Addiction is now viewed as a chronic disease, because individuals who are addicted to substances show the same pattern of healing and relapse. Addicts must therefore be treated in the same ethical manner as patients,” Dr Wanigaratne said on the sidelines of the workshop.

Therefore, to protect patient confidentiality, professionals are trained not to report addicts who seek treatment on their own. Among other skills, they are also taught to treat addicts with dignity, even though they may be violent and abusive.

An ongoing pilot programme at six schools in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, undertaken in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Education Council, has also been working since the beginning of September to educate teachers about encouraging healthier lifestyles among pupils. The goal is that it will eventually help pupils stay away from drugs, alcohol, prescription medicines and other forms of addictive substances. The initiative is called Fawasel (which translates into ‘unplugged’), and the NRC hopes to gradually increase its reach to other schools in the emirate.

Isolated

“We are seeing more young people who are addicted to various toxins. Some of our patients are as young as 15 years old. And the worry is that because adolescents tend to be somewhat isolated from their families in general, it is harder for parents and guardians to detect these warning signs,” Dr Wanigaratne said.

Dr Hamad Al Gaferi, director-general at the NRC, advised parents to cultivate a close bond with their children and stay up to date with changes in their lives.

“Changes such as excessive sleep, exhaustion and nervousness can be telling. Moreover, many young people tend to opt for prescription medicines, and this can be visible when they leave medicines around the room. So, despite their busy lives, parents need to keep a watch on children’s activities,” he said.

A 200-bed facility to expand the NRC’s premises is also expected to be completed by 2015, Dr Wanigaratne said.

“Once the new facility is completed, we should also be able to offer special programmes geared towards preventing and reducing addiction among adolescents,” he added.