Hope through rehab

FOR a while now, we have been advocating the need for rehabilitation centres for drug addicts. It’s because we do not have any in Fiji. It is a crucial and time sensitive issue that needs urgent attention.

The recent drug busts in Nadi should urge the powers that be to ponder on the issue of addiction.

We cannot just bury our heads in the sand so to speak, and pretend we do not have a problem.

In fact the absence of such facilities exacerbates the problem, leaving addicts without a lifeline, and without hope for recovery.

We wonder whether we have experts who can effectively deal with addicts, and guide them through the transition they must make from being addicts to getting clean.

Such facilities need specialists who understand how the different drugs like methamphetamine and cocaine impact our bodies, and how addicts can be assisted to come clean. We know it isn’t an easy journey to take, and a lot of addicts fall back into the habit.

This week, Assistant Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection Sashi Kiran, while speaking on the plight of young addicts, echoed the need for rehab centres.

Young street dwellers, she revealed, who were taken into State care for rehabilitation had failed under the program because they were hooked on drugs that were stronger than glue.

The youths, she said, influenced others who were also in the rehab programs.

Ms Kiran said trying to get young drug users properly rehabilitated would take some time.

“You realise that overnight you cannot put up a drug rehab centre but there is a lot of work happening behind the scenes. We are working with various partners to find provisions.

“It is a huge problem that we are dealing with.

“I have had continuous calls from people who say ‘we are desperate for drug rehab centres’.

“Even the elite people who are well-to-do are struggling with their children and their behaviour using drugs.”

The ministry, she said, was working quietly behind the scenes to set up a facility for addicts.

In this particular instance, the discovery of the extent of the youths’ drug problems complicated matters as rescuers found out they were not resourced enough to deal with drug addicts.

We should be acknowledging we have a major challenge and embrace hope.

We can reflect on the lives of young people shattered by drugs like ice and cocaine. We can talk about the dangers of such drugs on the body, on families, communities, and individuals.

We can talk about families torn apart by addiction. The question is do we have the will to push for rehabilitation centres?