Drug rehabilitation centres are bracing themselves for their annual peak in patient check-ins, which comes towards the end of January and February on the back of festive season partying. The high spirits of the festive season prove to be the tipping point for many people suffering with drug or alcohol addiction, eating disorders and depression.
“People with addictions probably use the festive season to go overboard with their substance abuse. Some will make New Year’s resolutions to confront their problem,” said clinical psychologist Cathy Karasselos from the Cape Town Drug Counseling Centre.
Karasselos said the atmosphere of indulgence over the festive season could serve as a smokescreen for people with addictions to disguise their problem and increase their intake.
She said it was also not uncommon for religious people to come into the centre after a holiday such as Eid, having decided to address their problems after a period of spiritual introspection.
Samantha Neethling, unit coordinator of private Cape Town rehabilitation centre Kenilworth Clinic, said with many people still on leave the clinic mostly received enquiries in early January.
“But late January to February is when people start checking in,” said Neethling.
She said there were usually two groups of people seeking treatment – a more senior group wanting treatment for alcohol addiction and a younger set entering for heroin or tik addiction.
Often admissions are related to problems present throughout the year, but which only come to attention during the festive season.
Programme director of Stepping Stones in Kommetjie, Carrie Becker, said people did not notice their children getting into trouble.
“Then suddenly something happens – someone ends up in a police station or an emergency room – and the problem is brought to their attention. Many of the phone calls we get are from people saying ‘I’ve just discovered such and such has a problem.’”
She said people may also have had a bad experience over the season and have become suicidal.
“Many people of all ages get depressed at this time of year.”
Most of the patients at the centre checked in for cocaine, heroin and alcohol abuse, and were given treatment in the form of a three-day detox, during which the anti-addictive drug methadone was issued for heroin withdrawal and benzodiazepine for alcohol withdrawal.
Prices at various private treatment centres contacted for the purposes of this story were in the vicinity of R30,000 for a three week rehabilitation course.
The South African Community Epidemiology Network on Drug Use (Sacendu) reported in November 2008 that
2,637 patients were treated at 29 centres in the Western Cape between January and June 2008. Alcohol was the dominant substance of abuse in all provinces except the Western Cape.
However, the Western Cape was ahead of other regions when it came to “club drugs” (ecstasy and LSD) and methamphetamine (tik), which remains the most common primary drug of abuse.
The Cape Town Drug Counseling Centre : 021 447 8026
Sanca Western Cape : 021 945 4080.
Houghton House Group : 082 336 1175