THE outcry has been against extrajudicial killings of suspected drug personalities, and rightly so, but there is another issue that needs looking into as the drug war continues.
At least 14 deaths in Central Visayas were recorded in July as those linked to the war on drugs, while about a thousand people went to police stations in Cebu city alone under a drive to convince users to surrender.
On a national scope, there are 500,000 people who surrendered to the police for being drug users or pushers.
But there is no record or report on how these suspected drug users who were visited by law enforcers under the “Oplan Tokhang” are coping after their release on their promise they would not do drugs again. “Tokhang” means to knock (“toktok”) on people’s doors and urge them (“hangyo”) to surrender. Those in the list of users are brought to the police station or barangay gymnasium and required to promise not to use drugs anymore. They are then released with the warning of follow-up visits to check on their rehabilitation.
But the lack of rehabilitation centers and government-sponsored recovery programs is turning into a hindrance in the war on drugs following the thousands of people who surrendered nationwide. Those released after making the promise are not guided on how to cope with the painful withdrawal process.
Drug addiction conditions the mind to seek, crave and use the illegal substance. The Dangerous Drugs Board said the addiction is caused by brain changes due to constant drug use. A person dependent on drugs will experience withdrawal reactions that occur after long-term use of a drug is reduced or stopped abruptly, it said on www.ddb.gov.ph.
When the drug use is stopped, it creates a situation where the person has to undergo a difficult process of fully cleansing the body of the illegal drugs. As the drug is removed from the system and its effect starts to wear off, the person may experience shaking or trembling, sweating, nausea, headache, loss of appetite, anxiety, insomnia, depression, irritability, and fatigue. In extreme cases, the person ends the suffering by committing suicide. Experts even suggested professional treatment of people in recovery from drug addiction.
The Duterte administration is directing efforts toward setting up rehabilitation centers in the cities and barangays. In Cebu City last Friday night, President Rodrigo Duterte spoke with Armed Forces central command officers to present his proposal to set aside one hectare of their camp for a rehabilitation center. Local government units are also proposing other ways to help those who surrendered recover from their addictions.
But rehabilitation centers and sports competitions to keep former users preoccupied might not be enough to let them rid their bodies of the drugs.
The withdrawal symptoms could kill the former drug user or destroy the family. That is why rehab institutions undertake the several phases of treatment. Detoxification or stopping drug use is only one step of a process that involves the use of medicine, self-help and the long-term support of family and community.
(ninicab@sunstar.com.ph)