UN-supported project brings hope to drug addicts

Sergey, 30, has had a difficult time since he started taking heroin over eight years ago. Like many other addicts he has tried to quit numerous times, even undergoing addiction treatment at the Republican Narcology Centre (RCN) in the capital, Bishkek, but he cannot resist new hits of the drug. “I was so addicted that I could not imagine another life. When I realised that I could no longer continue this way, I joined special treatment sessions designed to remove my addiction, but still could not get rid of thoughts about another dose [of heroin],” he told IRIN at the centre. For the addict there appeared no way out of the cycle of addiction, then he learned about a new psychological rehabilitation centre opened in RCN, the country's main body dealing with the issue of drug addiction. In October, RCN launched a new project supported by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to help drug users like Sergey recover from psychological addiction. Health workers said it was another step forward in treating drug abuse in the country. Aida Parpieva, head of the centre, told IRIN that only treatment aimed at removing physical addiction had been offered at health institutions before. "Now the treatment in the centre has been diversified with psychological and social rehabilitation aspects,” she said. Health workers at the unique centre underwent special training conducted by UNODC specialists during 2003. They now practice different kinds of psychotherapy and psychological exercises with patients to raise their self-esteem and develop new personal qualities that would help them overcome psychological addiction to narcotics. “There we discuss our personal problems with each other, the history of how one became addicted. Then each of us proposes a way to solve this problem. Also, there is a gym where you can restore your physical health,” 37-year-old Vitaliy, another addict at the centre, told IRIN. Currently, there are more than 8,000 registered drug users in the country, with 900 fresh cases seen each year. However, some unofficial estimates suggest the number is much higher, with UNODC putting the figure at nearly 80,000 drug users. “So far the efficiency of narcology treatment remains too low. The number of patients annually discharged from RCN due to recovery comprised 0.4 percent compared to the total number of registered patients. The low effectiveness rate of narcology help has also been worsened by the narrow scope of medical treatment provided by our centre,” the director of RCN, Tynchtykbek Asanov, told IRIN. Patients are transferred to the psychological rehabilitation branch of RCN after having passed detoxication treatment. The centre is open both to drug users as well as alcoholics. The entry requirements for candidates are high, only those who are genuinely committed to fighting their addiction are accepted. “I came here to recover. I like that everything here is on volunteer basis. Doors are always open and I can leave anytime, but I don’t want to do it,” Maksat, a 32-year-old patient, told IRIN. Meanwhile, Sergey and the other initial nine patients at the psychological centre are positive about the treatment. He hopes that in the near future he will finally quit drugs for good.