Quantcast
Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 174

Pura Calma Rehab Africa Project

Get Involved, Make A Difference
West Africa has only recently experienced an increase in the domestic consumption of narcotics among its populations. However according to UN statistics 37,000 people in Africa die annually from diseases associated with the consumption of illegal drugs. The UN estimates there are 28 million drug users in Africa, the figure for the United States and Canada is 32 million.

According to estimates forwarded by the United Nations, of the 35 tonnes of cocaine estimated to have reached West Africa in 2009, only 21 tonnes continued on to Europe, meaning the remainder was probably sold and consumed locally in Africa. There are an estimated 1.5 million of coke users in West Africa. The UN agency said as much as 400 kilograms (880 pounds) of heroin have been consumed in West Africa in 2011 so far. More African youths are becoming addicted to hard drugs, while West Africa gradually transforms from a drug transportation region, to a drug consuming region to a drug producing one. 

Limited Rehab Centres In Africa
There are less than five drug rehabilitation centres in the whole of West Africa. Guinea-Bissau’s only drug-addiction clinic, Quinhámel mental-health centre. The centre is trying to cope with an explosion of crack addiction with no funds, no drugs and no trained staff. Thousands of people in Bissau's slums like Reno have become crack addicts. Prostitution has increased substantially consequently driving a new HIV/AIDS epidemic. 

When the population of a state is weakened or compromised by drug abuse, it has the potential of rendering the population insecure as “dependency, distress, poverty and crime sets in. If this trend continues unabated it ultimately leads to the disintegration and disruption of family and society relations and a country dependent on narco-trafficking causes the unravelling of its own population and the attached value system required for its survival and cohesion.

Sierra Leone One Psychiatrist For Six Million People
The only certified psychiatrist in Sierra Leone, Dr Nahim estimated that 80 percent of the patients he sees are suffering from "drug-induced psychotic disorders". 

As Dr Nahim's explains "In a poor country like Sierra Leone, medicines used to treat addiction, such as methadone, are expensive, he therefore employs the "cold turkey method", despite it often entailing painful withdrawal symptoms. "We restrain you physically," he said. "Then we give you very strong tranquillising drugs that will keep you asleep during that period, maybe for one or two days." This is drug rehab in West Africa.

The City of Rest Rehabilitation Centre at Fort Street in Freetown offers residential care for 40 people struggling with addiction problems and or mental illness. The centre seeks to bring spiritual, physical, and psychosocial/mental healing and restoration to lives that have been severely affected by substance abuse and or mental illness.  The City of rest which is the only rehabilitation centre for people with substance abuse disorders in Sierra Leone is partly supported by local charges and individuals.  People trying to beat addiction to drugs, are forced to go on a long waiting list to get a place in the City of Rest. West Africa is now the epicentre of an expanding cocaine trade, confronting an entirely new problem that threatens disaster for its fragile health, law enforcement and justice systems - a growing legion of home-grown addicts.

Warning Signals 
Intermediaries along West African smuggling routes are often paid in product. To turn expensive high-grade cocaine into a profit-making drug in one of the world's poorest regions, cartels are transforming the white powder into crack cocaine. In some cities, a dose of rock sells for as little as $0.20.

"The warning signals are there that this really is a problem that could run amok in years ahead if comparable resources aren't devoted to the human consumption side," said Alan Doss, a senior adviser at the Geneva-based Kofi Annan Foundation.

We only have to examine the experience of the American crack epidemic of 1984 to 1990 to get an idea of what the future may hold for West Africa. In 1985, cocaine-related hospital emergencies rose by 12 percent, from 23,500 to 26,300. By 1986 it had rocketed up 210 percent, from 26,300 to 55,200. Between 1984 and 1987, cocaine incidents increased to 94,000. In addition, late 1984 also saw an increase in fetal death rates and low birth-weight babies to mothers who were using crack cocaine. The crack epidemic is correlated with a sharp increase in crime on an unprecedented scale, especially violent crime. 

Between 1984 and 1994, the homicide rate for black males aged 14 to 17 more than doubled, and the homicide rate for black males aged 18 to 24 increased nearly as much. During this period, the black community also experienced an increase in fetal death rates, low birth-weight babies, weapons arrests, and the number of children in foster care.

Some contributors and readers of African Narco News are interested in establishing a Holistic Drug Rehab centre based in Dakar or Accra in West Africa.

Drug users constitute a large and growing proportion of the prison population. Drug users not only commit a substantial amount of crime, but as the frequency of drug use increases, the frequency of crime increases and the severity of crimes committed also increases.

The American Correctional Association notes that more than 95 percent of drug and alcohol offenders in the us will be discharged from prison, most without receiving any treatment. Because of the high association between drug abuse and recidivism, it is in the public interest to place offenders in the kinds of treatment programs that have been found effective. A noticeable reduction in drug use and criminality can occur with an alliance between the criminal justice system and drug abuse treatment.

Public expenditures for drug abuse treatment are wise and prudent investments.Research has shown that funds invested in drug treatment reduces future criminal justice costs for treated offenders. For every dollar spent for drug treatment, $11.54 is saved in social costs, 
including law enforcement costs, losses to victims, and government funds for health care.

We are looking to reach out to all health professionals, rehab professionals and anybody that would be willing to devote a little time and energy to help get The Pura Calma Africa Rehab Project rolling in the right direction.

Our goal is to establish a holistic rehab centre using 100% natural remedies and focusing on resources which are indigenous to Africa.
Pura Calma Africa Rehab
Our facility will offer a drug addiction treatment will include a Holistic approach to drug rehab programs, to go deeper offering an extensive, multi-faceted drug addiction treatment that treats the root of the problem rather than just the symptoms.

Our vision is to introduce to West Africa an effective programme which could then be duplicated all over the continent.
It would include:
he holistic programme would include:
Self-control training 
Social-skills training 
Community reinforcement 
Educational lectures and films
General counseling
Ibogaine Therapy
Psychotherapy and other milieu therapies
Yoga, Tai Chi, Guided Meditation
Acupuncture
Gender Specific Groups
Mind - Body - Spirit Program
Stress Management
Massage
Music Therapy
Nutrition and diet
Personal Training and Exercise 
Use of indigenous plants and Herbs
Holistic natural detox
Outpatient Treatment
Continuing Care / Aftercare

Contribute a word, an idea, your time or experience and help us make Pura Calma Africa Rehab a success for Africa.

Share with us wildharvestpharma@gmail.com

Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 174

Trending Articles