Rehabilitation centres for drug addicts are judicious

The establishment of more rehabilitation centres for drug addicts in the country is an extremely well thought out plan by the government especially in this era where young people are indulging in drug and alcohol abuse. These centres will come as a relief to parents who are fighting with drug abusing children. The main purpose of drug rehabilitation is to break the cycle of addiction. Only then can an addict begin to function normally in day to day life. Drug addiction turns addicts into shells of their former selves; it strips them of all the hope and joy that makes human existence such a vital thing. These centres can repair the damage using successful drug treatment programs worth any cost. Meaningful drug recovery is what’s important. The decision to seek a rehab centre means accepting that you have a problem you can’t solve by yourself. This is the most difficult truth for many drug addicts. At the centre, psychological evaluation is also carried out to assess if the patient is suffering from any psychological problems like depression. A patient’s treatment, therapy and aftercare are all based on these initial evaluations and all rehab centres provide specialised and customized care to their patients. In Rwanda one centre, Iwawa Rehabilitation and Vocational Training centre at Iwawa Island of Lake Kivu exists. The centre enables former street children who were addicted to alcohol and drugs to get back to their normal lives by empowering them with employable skills and entrepreneurial capacity. According to the Minister of Youth, Jean Philbert Nsengimana, the government is planning to establish more treatment centres for drug addicts in the country. “It’s something we need to start without delay because having only one rehabilitation centre which accommodates males only is not enough, there are females who are alcohol and drug addicts who need to be rehabilitated as well,” he says. Nsengimana states that his ministry is planning to budget for the centres in the next year’s financial budget. Alphonse Nkuranga, Executive Secretary National Youth Council said that establishing rehab centres is a good initiative but it doesn’t mean that young people who are drug addicts are on rampage. “We are encouraging parents to rehabilitate their children at home because parents play a big role in their children’s lives,” he said. frank.kanyesigye@newtimes.co.rw