The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Teaching them to say no to substance abuse

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Wednesday, Jul 09, 2008
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Teaching them to say no to substance abuse

Deepika Arwind

Tobacco, paint thinner, petrol and alcohol are affordable and easily available

— FILE Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.

GULLIBLE: Lack of social support makes it easy for such children to fall victim to substance abuse.

Bangalore: Drug and alcohol abuse continues to be widespread among street children, says Dhanasekara Pandian, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatric Social Work at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (NIMHANS) here.

One of the most abused substances among street children is tobacco, which is chewed and smoked. Very commonly sniffed is paint thinner and petrol, because these are affordable and easily available. And then, there is alcohol.

Dealing with the problem of substance abuse among street children is one of the top priorities at the de-addiction centre in NIMHANS. The de-addiction network was set up in 1995 in collaboration with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that work with street children.

It has also set up a de-addiction databank which catalogues the kinds of cases that have been registered for reference.

“The main problem in treating street children is that of relapse,” says Dr. Pandian. As the follow-up for these children is not easy and since they (street children) do not have a support system, street children often go back to substance abuse. “With the rising migrant population in Bangalore, the problem is not localised anymore,” he said.

At the de-addiction centre, with group counselling, psycho-social intervention and medical detoxification, the children are taught to say no to drugs when they leave the centre after a stay of three to four weeks.

There is also a child and adolescent psychiatry unit which deals with those aged less than 18. Part of the de-addiction programme is training for NGOs and community-level workers working with street children. Though these training sessions happen every three weeks and various NGOs across the city are brought together, the problem seems to be escalating.

“The number of women drinking is also on the rise. There are not enough specialised facilities for women and child addicts. While we are trying to do all we can, it is difficult for us to provide all the facilities,” he adds.

Also in the offing is the launch of a Workplace Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programme which will focus on substance abuse particularly in small-sized industries. The programme will focus on lowering the number of abusers.

NIMHANS also plans to initiate a life-skills module in corporation schools to create awareness about the ill-effects of substance abuse among students. “We have 170 medical officers in the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike who have been trained by NIMHANS and are equipped to deal with addiction,” says Dr. Pandian.

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