​Points giving counseling and helping drug addicts with detoxification are established under Prime Minister’s Decision no.565/QD-TTg dated April 25, 2017 to approve of the target program to develop the social assistance system in 2016-2020 period, the provincial People’s Committee’s plan no.2735/KH-UBND dated March 22, 2018 on the implementation of Prime Minister’s Decision no. 565/QD-TTg dated April 25, 2017 to approve of the target program to develop the social assistance system in 2016-2020 period in Dong Nai province, the provincial People’s Committee’s Plan no. 9453/KH-UBND dated September 6, 2018 on the construction of the model of “Points giving counseling and helping drug addicts with detoxification” in the community in the province.

People attending the cultural activities during the traditional Lunar New Year at the provincial drug detoxification center

In recent times, a point giving counseling, treatment and detoxification to drug addicts in the community has been established in Ho Nai 3 commune, which has contributed to bringing the total number of points giving counseling, treatment and detoxification to drug addicts in the district up to 8 points: Doi 61 commune, Bac Son commune, Song Trau commune, Binh Minh commune, Quang Tien commune, Dong Hoa commune and Trang Bom township, and Ho Nai 3 commune.

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Xiem, Deputy Head of Division of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs of Trang Bom district confirmed, this address will be a place to help drug addicts and their families to gain an access to such services as health consultancy, legal advice, job creation, connecting addicts with drug detoxification facilities, and so on. Although drug detoxification related activities have seen a lot of changes, drug addicts are still ashamed and afraid of social contact, which has resulted in poor efficiency in the organization and implementation of voluntary detoxification forms in families and communities. Therefore, the model of points giving counseling, treatment and detoxification to drug addicts in the community is considered an effective solution for improving the prevention and control of drug addicts in the community.

In late 2019, 82 points giving counseling, treatment and detoxification to drug addicts in the community and 82 communes, wards and towns have voluntary social work teams. The points giving counseling, treatment and detoxification to drug addicts at community levels have the following tasks: instructing drug addicts to develop drug addiction treatment plans in families and communities; giving advice on solutions for preventing and controlling and reducing harms to drug addicts, their families and locals; giving counseling to HIV-AIDS infected patients and helping them to appropriate treatment methods; giving counseling and support to drug addicts and helping them to comply with treatment; giving advice on how to prevent, control and reduce harms, treatment and post-detoxification activities to drug addicts, their families and locals; giving counseling on how to prevent HIV-AIDS transmission; giving legal advice on drug use behavior and drug addiction; approaching and calling for drug addicts to participate in detoxification programs and helping addicts to follow their treatment programs effectively; connecting support services for drug addicts and post-detoxification addicts to help them access facilities providing services, vocational training, making loans, and generating jobs to help them integrate in the community; carrying out communication activities on how to prevent and control drug addiction and calling for drug addicts and post-detoxification to participate in treatment programs; calling for the community’s participation in the activities like drug addiction treatment support and post-detoxification management.

Mr. Dang Xuan Hoa, Director of Department of Social Evils Prevention and Control said, there are over 4,500 drug users on file in the province and over 80% of people using synthetic drugs (Amphetamine). In addition, the world’s current trend is that the young are using many new types of drugs such as American grass, magic mushrooms, postage stamps, smiley balls, and so on. In addition, part of previous heroin addicts has gradually switched to use new types of drugs, which has made drug-related prevention, control and treatment harder to deal with. Establishing and organizing activities like points giving counseling in localities to help addicts raise their awareness, and comply with long-term treatment in the community to prevent and control their re-addiction as well.

Also, drug addicts are given advice on health, law, job placement, and vocational training, and are connected with the province’s drug detoxification facilities, thereby helping addicts to cut off and detoxify their addiction, restore their health, stabilize their life, re-integrate into the community, reduce the rate of new drug addicts, and prevent the consequences caused by drug addiction.

It is expected that 82/82 points giving counseling, treatment and support to drug addicts in the community at communal levels will be launched and put into operation in March, 2020.

Duy Minh (Thanh Ngoc)