NCJ Number
196440
Journal
Crime & Justice International Volume: 18 Issue: 63 Dated: June 2002 Pages: 7-8,25
Date Published
June 2002
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This examination of drug treatment programs in Colombia considers historical and cultural considerations, a profile of the typical Colombian drug abuser, day clinics and nonresidential hospital wards as treatment sites, therapeutic communities and short-term residential clinics, and outpatient centers.
Abstract
Given the current cultural attitudes toward drug use and the amount of social and economic instability in Colombia, treatment programs for substance abuse are likely to experience numerous setbacks and challenges. The typical client in most Colombian drug treatment programs is male, single, unemployed, and ranging in age from 18 to 30 years. Out of the treatment programs available, day clinics and outpatient intensive treatment centers seem to have the most promise for effective drug abuse treatment. Typically, day clinics focus on physical recuperation and the adoption of new lifestyles. Most of these programs have good reputations among drug addicts who have used them. Some of the staff in these programs are licensed professionals (psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers), and others are former addicts who have received some training to qualify as paraprofessionals. In outpatient centers, clients attend voluntarily for an intensive form of treatment. Some clients may receive up to 24 hours of face-to-face therapy per week. Clients receive individual, family, and group therapy, and their parents are expected to participate in special weekly meetings. These programs include motivational interventions and extensive relapse prevention strategies that are routinely implemented within the structure of the treatment schedule. The social, political, and economic dimensions of Colombian life, however, are unstable, and this may stimulate an increase in drug use among a population that sees little hope for their future in this country. Further, drug abuse programs do not seem to rank high on the government's priority list, which can contribute to an increasing deterioration of prevention and treatment. 7 references