HEROIN ADDICTS WANT TO BE DRUG FREE
Heroin addicts want to get off drugs rather than be given heroin prescriptions.
When put into drug rehabilitation, heroin addicts stayed off drugs and abstinence based programs were more effective than other programs.
Residential based abstinence rehabilitation is the most effective.
A Scottish study showed that 29 per cent of heroin addicts in residential drug rehabilitation had been abstinent for at least 90 days compared to only 3 per cent of those on methadone maintenance.
When placed in rehabilitation programs addicts want the program to support them in their attempt to become drug free.
(Source: British Medical Journal, 11 January 2008)
The Drug Advisory Council of Australia Comments
Australian heroin addicts like most other addicts want to be drug free and they want programs to help them to achieve their objectives.
Heroin is a major cause of death in young Australians so rehabilitation must be effective.
Long tern effects of heroin addiction include heart, chest and bronchial problems, coma, malnutrition, pneumonia, impotence and infertility.
Australia should set a clear policy objective of substantially reducing the demand for illicit drugs and reducing the number of drug users.
The most effective way of reducing the large numbers of drug users is to divert them into residential detoxification and rehabilitation.
Lets ditch harm minimization for what works.
More detoxification & rehabilitation that gets illicit drug users drug free.
Court ordered and supervised detoxification & rehabilitation.
Less illicit drug users, drug pushers and drug related crimes.
8/2008