Sahyog Clinic, a Delhi-based leading detox & de-addiction clinic, has recently launched its new programs which include treatments like Detoxification from Alcohol and Drugs, De-addiction from Alcohol and Drugs, Rehabilitation, Treatment of Substance Abuse, Behaviour and Group Therapy, Substance Abuse Counseling, Inpatient Treatment of Drug Abuse and Alcohol Addiction.
These new programs are expected to aid the government’s initiatives to reduce the demand for drug and alcohol use in India. Their program takes four to five months to ensure the complete recovery of the patients. The 12-step program is designed to use a combination of medicines, a disciplined routine, a healthy diet, yoga, meditation, group discussion, behaviour therapy, reading, and writing so that the patients could experience a holistic recovery. While discussing their treatment methodologies, Dr Gautam Bhatia, founder of Sahyog clinic shares, “Sahyog has a significantly higher success rate than the average and this has happened due to certain key principles and practices we have sought to bring to our efforts. One of these is our collaboration with other specialist doctors and medical facilities. We also ensure that associated or independent medical issues such as physiological damage are identified at admission and addressed. We seek to promote benchmark services and best practices, coordinated and networked expertise, and a multi-dimensional approach. All relevant and mutually supportive substance abuse treatment is accessible for all cases and is brought in where it is needed, as per the situation and requirements. The initial diagnosis for patients coming directly to us is important.”
India’s drug and alcohol abuse scenario is a persistent matter of concern for the government. Studies suggest that India is home to over six crore alcohol addicts. More than 3.1 crore Indians have reported using cannabis products, bhang, ganja, charas, heroin and opium, a year. “Nearly one in five alcohol users suffer from dependence and need urgent treatment,” said a survey conducted by AIIMS, Delhi, pegging the number of people who needed urgent treatment at around 3.2 crore out of a total of 5.7 crore considered to be alcohol addicts.
Despite serious efforts by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare India suffers from the issue of poorly functioning De-addiction Centres (DACs) owing to lack of regular funding, absence of dedicated staff, poor patient load and data management, inadequate support from other authorities and the absence of awareness in the community. A 2002 study noted that of the 104 centres studied, only 43 (41%) were functional and the remaining 61 (59%) was non-functional.