HYDERABAD: Two de-addiction NGOs in the city have ventured for the first time to extend the alcohol and drug de-addiction residential programmes exclusively to women addicts.

Serenity Foundation and Hope Trust have come forward to start `women only' rehabilitation facilities with women staff carrying out the treatment process at Trimulgherry and Banjara Hills respectively.

The need for exclusive centres emerged with a large number of enquiries received and the complete absence of `women only' centres in the city with the nearest centres located at Bangalore, Mumbai and Chennai.

"Going by the number of calls from anonymous callers for help, including calls from NGOs working with women, we felt a need to start an exclusive centre for women," says Chetan, Managing Trustee of Serenity Foundation, who has started a 15-bed facility.

Addictive personality

"Earlier, patients had been approaching physicians and psychiatrists for solutions. But now, they have come to understand the requirement of an addiction specific facility which will address the personality of the person as an addictive personality and deal with it in a holistic manner," says Rahul Luther, Executive Trustee of Hope Trust, who has started a new rehabilitation centre with a ten-bed facility. "Social stigma attached to the problem has prevented women from coming forward for treatment. They should not try experiments but approach for help. After all, addiction is like any other disease and needs timely treatment," explains Mr. Chetan.

Both organisations will run the recovery programme based on the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, which examines the physical, mental, social and spiritual aspects to effect a personality change in the individual.

"I have gone through the recovery programme myself and I have come out of it, in spite of having been into drugs for more than two decades," explains Mr. Luther.

While the cost of the programme at Hope Trust is Rs. 25,000 per month, at Serenity, it will work out to Rs. 6,000 to Rs. 7,000 or more if the participant is looking for an exclusive room.

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