Rehabs fall short as substance abuse spirals

High standard facilities needed to treat growing number of addicts in the city

KARACHI:

The recent emergence of multi-drug abuse among youth in the port city due to peer pressure, brings to light the inadequacies of the local rehab system, which fails to provide medically approved treatment options to addicts.

While previously, most drug addicts would rely on a single drug like Hashish or heroin to satisfy their addiction, in recent years many have resorted to using a wide variety of drugs like ice and crystal, emphasizing the paucity of high standard rehab facilities in the city.

“Given the limited number of public rehabilitation centers in the city, how can one expect a poor person to seek treatment for their loved one, during times when drug abuse is so common’, says Ahmed Raza, a social leader.

Health experts who deal with cases of substance abuse claim that the number of public rehab facilities are extremely scarce and even the few private ones that are operating, treat patients with unapproved medications. “I sent my nephew for treatment to a rehab facility which neither had enough beds nor the proper medications to treat patients,” said Kashif, whose nephew is struggling with addiction.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Faisal Khan, who has spent time at a rehab, revealed that the medical staff would frequently tie patients with ropes and even batter some in the name of treatment.

“Eventually, my family had to call me back in a couple of weeks since they were neither taking care of my hygiene nor were they treating my addiction.”

Studies show that developing countries with low GDP levels and failing democratic institutions risk being drawn into a substance abuse crisis since much of its youth is alienated by the economic uncertainty and socio-political chaos that mark the public landscape.

According to Asif Shah, a volunteer at a local rehab facility, “Many young people, including women, from low-income families get into drug abuse in order to alleviate the mental frustration that accompanies unemployment and financial uncertainty”. Pakistan, with a large population drawn into poverty due to inflation, has been hit severely with the drug abuse crisis, with its financial center, Karachi, witnessing a pervasive use of various drugs in areas like Saddar, Kala Pull and Liaquatabad.

According to Syed Khurshid Javed, the CEO of Karachi psychiatric hospital, peer pressure among youth has deeply exacerbated the problem of drug abuse. “Therefore, parents must maintain open communication with their children, in order to ensure that they do not get influenced by peers who are involved in drugs”, he added.

Even though it can be difficult to ascertain the usage of drugs by a child without a blood test, parents can use some ways to identify the problem in their children. “The most common signs for identification include irregular sleeping patterns, aggressive behavior and kleptomaniac inclinations developing gradually in a child,” informed Syed Khursheed Javed, an expert in rehab therapy.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 15^th, 2023.