Role of Community in Combating Drug Addiction

Introduction:

One popular saying in Alcoholics Anonymous is “I can’t stay sober, but we can.”  

The problem drug and substance is increasing at a very high pace in the current times. The addiction amongst youngsters is alarming and is a growing global concern. The overdose and addiction of drugs take a toll not only on their physical and mental health but also affects their family. It is also a cause of increasing crime as the drug addicts resort to any measures to consume drugs. There are many laws against the consumption of drugs but still, the addiction amongst people continues to remain high.

We often see the drug addiction that does not affect us or that does not exist in our community. This blinds the society in recognising and acknowledging the addiction problems in the community. We form the community and the community is formed by us. And in the times of need, the community can provide the drug addicts with the lifeline and support they need. The support and encouragement by the community can help the addicts in overcoming their habit. The community programs play an important role in making people of the community aware of the issue of drug addiction and training them to overcome the same.

 Role of Community

The community one lives in shapes the lives of the individuals to a great extent.  And on many occasions, the society as a whole comes together to resolve issues that impact society as a whole. The addiction to drugs especially amongst young people does not only affect them but also their families and others in society. The community can thus play an important role in combatting drug addiction. The community, NGOs and the other social agencies, therefore, come together to help the substance addict to overcome the addiction and to achieve abstinence. There are many government rehabilitation centres and programs which are designed to combat addiction but the community programmes have been one of the most effective measures to fight drug addiction.

The drug addicts need the support of the community as they cannot rely on their own willpower. It is often found that the intervention by communities and families at the early stage can help in mitigating the addiction. There are various drug de-addiction programs that are held by communities to fight the addiction. These often involve raising awareness amongst the people and creating effective rehabilitation programs that are accessible to people. These community-based programs help the person to restore their mental, physical and psychological health, gain equal opportunities after the program and overcome social discrimination. The localization of the action at the community level makes it more effective for implementation and also becomes accessible to the people. By talking to people who have been in their shoes and the counsellors often prevents the substance abusers from going into depression or taking drugs again.

Steps that can be Taken

1. Community mobilization:  The mobilization of the community is the first step that can be taken to combat addiction. Conducting regular awareness programs at community centres, organising safe prescription disposal events, rehabilitation programs can be done. This helps in spreading awareness about the drug problems prevailing in the community and the risks associated with them. Also, awareness must be spread amongst the kids and youngsters who might be most affected by them.
2. Identification of the drugs that people are most addicted to every community has a different drug which the people are addicted to. Assessing and identifies the drugs abused the most in the community can help them in developing programs specifically designed to overcome their addiction. It will thus help in the effectiveness of the programs. The personalisation of the programs on the basis of gender, age, culture can also help in its effectiveness.
3. Increasing accessibility to addiction treatments: most drug addicts do not have access to the quality rehabilitation centres that can assure them full abstinence. The community-based rehabilitation programs need not only be accessible to people but should provide them with a quality treatment that can help them overcome their addiction.
4. Seeking feedback:  in order to ensure the success of the community-based programs to combat addiction, regular feedback must be taken. This will ensure that steps are taken in the right direction and identify if there are any areas to improve in.
5. Enhance Skills on Recognizing and Reducing Incidents of Drug Use: Most of the time the families are unaware of the signs of drug abuse and therefore ignore them. The people need to be educated to identify these signs so that the people can be prevented from becoming addicts.  Communities need to “skill-up” and not be so ignorant about drug use occurring before their very eyes.

Conclusion:

Government regulations and prevention programs do not tackle the problem of addiction at the ground level. Action is required at the local level to help the affected people. Although there are many government agencies and rehabilitation centres, the community should realise the impact they can have in helping the people in overcoming their addiction. Many communities often remain in denial or do not pay attention to these programs as they believe they do not affect them. Active measures need to be made to combat drug addiction by the community to ensure it does not reach a level where it is more difficult to control. The awareness programs at various community centres such as a church, community centres and municipal centres help in raising awareness among people about the addiction problems in the society.

The various programs also help people to access the treatment easily. Often the drug addicts face certain issues which lead them to resort to drugs. Therefore in this light community programs should not only resolve drug addiction but also resolve such problems in the society. It is often seen that the communal reinforcement helps the drug addicts to a great extent by providing them with the support and will power, which they need the most.