Drug dependency, a disease, not a crime

CEBU, Philippines - Drug addiction is not a crime, it is a disease.

This is what psychiatrists and psychologists want the public and the government to realize and accept in order to curb the problem of chemical dependency and the social consequences that goes with it.

Dr. Renato De Los Reyes, a practicing psychiatrist in the United States, recognizes the dilemma faced by many drug dependents, especially those in the lower income bracket.

“Nobody sees it as a disease,” he said. “What happens if you’re a drug user? You go to prison. Its good if you have money then you can opt to go to a rehabilitation center.”

A lifelong disease

Dr. Delos Reyes said, “Drug addiction is a lifelong problem. It is treatable but there is no cure to it.”

He explains that doctors can only resolve the symptoms that come with the disease. “The patient should be mindful of the potential for relapse,” he added.

The program

While in the US, Delos Reyes helped developed a program for drug dependents as part of the treatment being used by the prestigious Alexian Brothers Hospital Health System, which he is now bringing to Cebu through the foundation that he founded, the Foundation for International Mental Health and Rehabilitation (www.fimhr.org) based in Illinois.

The program, called Comprehensive Continuum of Care in Chemical Dependency, will be introduced in Cebu through the new facility being developed at the North General Hospital in Talamban, Cebu City.

It is the first hospital-based program for drug dependents in the region. The whole facility has a 40-bed residential unit which could accommodate patients for as long as one year. 

So how does the program work?

The program entails the use of medication, lifestyle change for the patient, and an understanding why the patient ended up with the problem in the first place.

He said that drug addiction has a genetic factor, which is why patients should understand and accept that such behavior is not entirely their making.

Another part of the program is detoxification, which is what rehabilitation centers do. However, he said that detox is not enough to help treat a drug dependent, mentioning the fact that many who undergo detox still have a tendency to engage in the habit. 

Individualized Multidisciplinary treatment

The program offers an individualized multidisciplinary approach that incorporates different professions into the treatment including the family and the patient himself.

“The goal here is the patient’s reintegration back to society,” and for this the program has an out-patient component. Educational programs for the patient, together with the family’s involvement in the treatment, are needed for it to be successful.

Medication

The medication, on the other hand, will be used to “take away the craving and the impulsive need to have drugs.” These medications either block the effect of the addictive drug or produce unpleasant effects. Other medications mimic the effect of the addictive drug but without the negative consequence.

Dr. De Los Reyes hopes that the center will help many drug dependents in the city and the region by giving them the right treatment. “We need a comprehensive program for this because chemical dependency is not like any medical condition wherein a doctor can just operate and take it out,” he said.

The center is set to open on May 18 of this year.