CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA) – Family members, friends and support groups are crucial among recovering Persons Who Use Drugs (PWUDs), as there are a lot of temptations that may trigger them to use illegal drugs again, according to Health Education Promotion Officer Erwin Rommel C. Lingad of the Department of Health Treatment RehabilitationCenter (DOH-TRC) in today's "KonsulTayo," a health and media forum jointly hosted by the Philippine Information Agency (PIA)-10 and Department of Health (DOH)-10.
Lingad said the support group will be a good recovery capital to encourage the client to maintain his "clean life or sober life."
Presidential Proclamation 124 declares every third week of November as the Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Week to increase public awareness on the harmful effects of psychoactive substances that are commonly abused in the Philippines, and also to encourage public support on the various drug demand reduction activities and programs of the government.
This year's celebration has for its theme, “Addressing drug challenges in health and humanitarian crises.”
DOH-TRC is located at Upper Puerto Cagayan de Oro City with a bed capacity of 200.
“Unfortunately, the center only caters to male clients for residential in-patients. But for our outpatient, and after care program, we cater to both male and female clients,” Lingad stressed.
There is an increase in admission at the DOH-TRC mostly of Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs) who availed of the plea bargain agreements and part of the plea bargain is mandatory rehabilitation program. And most of them are in middle adulthood aged 20-30 years old, Lingad said.
In line with the Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Week celebration, DOH-10 aims to increase awareness among the vulnerable population, especially the youth and women, by conducting various programs/activities like lectures and fora to increase their knowledge and understanding about illegal drugs and to fight disinformation.
“The goal is really a call to action to bolster the knowledge of everyone, to mitigate the impact of misinformation. We also have to increase their resiliency and not to be susceptible to drug use,” Lingad explained.
The clinicians or prevention specialists are equipped in orienting these clients that a possible relapse may happen along the way during the treatment or aftercare or even many years after the program.
“We also teach them skills and conduct therapy sessions to resist any temptations especially if they are reintegrated in society,” Lingad stressed. (JMORucat/PIA10)
