An addiction Management Professional and Educationists Facilitator, of the House of St Francis Rehabilitating Center in Accra, Walter Damen Asoh has hinted that Addiction is a disease just like diabetes and any other chronic diseases and need to be treated.
On Uniiq Breakfast Show, he explained that addicts are not bad people and moral deviants but rather sick people who need not to be stigmatized but need to be treated. He added that most people do not understand the concept that addiction is a disease and tend to attribute it, especially drug and alcohol addiction, to spiritual connotations. He noted that House of St Francis Rehabilitating Center has touched on about 300 lives with 60% success rate.
“We are here to throw more light on the concept of addiction as a disease. The more we realize that these people are sick the better. Rather than us associating it with some evil spirit let us recognize and acknowledge that there is a problem. Just like Diabetes, you need treatment as an addict to be able to stay sober.” He said.
Mr, Allan Menz who is also an addiction Management Professional and Educationists Facilitator of the House of St Francis Rehabilitation Center added that there is a mental compulsion in an addict to use drugs and the body also craves for the drug. He noted that the disease of addiction trickles down from the addict to the family where the family becomes very dysfunctional. He therefore urged families to get educated on how to live and manage a person with addiction.
“Drugs and Alcohol are baffling, cunning and very powerful. Do not take the first drug, do not try the first drink because with the stages of addiction, you always try it on experimental basis, you try to make it recreational and then you start to abuse it and before you realize, you have become addicted to it. However, there is hope of recovering.” He advised.
