Family support key to rehabilitating patients of drug abuse

The support of family and close friends is vital if patients of drug abuse have any chance of regaining normalcy in their lives, the medical director of Synapse Services, Dr Vincent Udenze has said. The mental health specialist, who emphasized this when families and friends got together to launch the Reconnect Support Services Group at […]

The support of family and close friends is vital if patients of drug abuse have any chance of regaining normalcy in their lives, the medical director of Synapse Services, Dr Vincent Udenze has said.
The mental health specialist, who emphasized this when families and friends got together to launch the Reconnect Support Services Group at the weekend, said that such support was an integral aspect of their rehabilitation.
The president of Reconnect HDI International and consultant psychiatrist, Dr Udenze, who is based in the United Kingdom, said he was excited that families and friends were coming together under the organisation to form a support group: RSS. He said it was long overdue as the group would be supported by professionals to maximise its full potentials.
Udenze explained that the Reconnect Health Development Initiative is a leading advocacy charity that works with individuals, groups, institutions and communities to alleviate the sufferings of people affected by psychological problems and drug abuse.
He added that research identified huge gaps between the recommended and the actual care and treatments available to patients, families and the community.
Synapse Services gave birth to the Reconnect Health Development Initiative to inform, advocate and enable access to quality mental health services, and to tackle the menacing issue of stigma as it relates to mental health and wellness.
Earlier, one of the counsellors at the centre, Mrs. Maria Saliu, who spoke on the impact of addiction on friends and families, said that unfortunately, instead of speaking out and seeking care, most families tend to hide the child from the society to avoid stigma.
She said, “Destructive patterns of co-dependency; in an attempt to protect the addict, most family members tend to hide the truth from themselves and the world, and to such extent, they lose sense of control.’’
Speaking at the forum, a parent of a former drug user, Alhaji Saidu,  said it was a welcome development as it allows both the parent and the child to understand each other and move pass that phase of their lives.
He added that the centre had helped build a better relationship with his son and had helped them navigate through that phase, saying, “Show care and support, it is never enough.”
He called on other parents with such children not to shy away from the problem, but to share their difficulties in order to proffer solutions. That was how he brought his son to Synapse Services.
An ex-patient of drug addiction, Bashir, who was in attendance, said that family support helped them to find a balance and return to normalcy after a long struggle with addiction. 
Another client of the centre said that such support systems were quite important, especially from the family as they assist to deter them from having a relapse, adding, “Our friends and family need to be involved in the process of monitoring our process and know the different processes we go through. For other addicts, please stay away from bad friends because it is the easiest way to fall back into temptation.”