Faith in recovery

By Nesmahar Sayed
Ihab El-Kharrat
The International Substance Abuse and Addiction Center of Studies (ISAACS) was born when psychiatrist Ihab El-Kharrat, founder and director of Freedom Recovery House and ISAACS, realised that many of those who work with recovering addicts are bereft of any formal academic training in that specific field. "Some have a degree in sociology, others in medicine or in medical sociology. Others yet are former addicts themselves and have experience but no education. If they want to take a training course, they have to go to the UK or the US -- both very expensive propositions. In Egypt, on the other hand, only a handful of doctors are qualified internationally in the treatment of substance abuse. We thought of establishing a programme to provide both practical and academic experience to those who work with recovering addicts. Many doctors liked the idea, and have offered to come and teach at the centre. They take a symbolic fee, and pay their own travel expenses."
ISAACS, the fruit of cooperation between Freedom Recovery House and the International Substance Abuse and Addiction Coalition, started its activities in Egypt with an addictive behaviour programme launched on 25 September 2000. Set up in 1989, Freedom Recovery House is an initiative that helps recovering addicts acquire skills in agriculture or handicrafts, thus ensuring their livelihood once they have broken the habit. The International Substance Abuse and Addiction Coalition includes over 80 programmes as well as an International Remedy Centre based in the UK.
Paul Roberts, ISAACS training coordinator and director of training for the International Substance Abuse and Addiction Coalition, is visiting the centre to run the first course. Fourteen students -- seven foreigners and seven Egyptians -- are enrolled. They include physicians, psychiatrists and specialists in addiction recovery, as well as former addicts and treatment centre staff.
At the end of the course, says Roberts, participants receive a certificate in addictive behaviour therapy. "The course teaches the students basics of addictive behaviour, and the importance of a community of faith in treatment. It shows how Islam and other religions can work to the benefit of the patient." He believes that foreign students will return to their countries to set up rehabilitation programmes taking into consideration the role of religion in addition to the medical and sociological bases of treatment. "The importance of holding this course in Egypt is this country's geographical centrality. Philosophically, it's a moderate country. There is room for different spiritual approaches and an openness to the international picture of medical treatment," Roberts adds.
Desert refuge: Helping addicts kick the habit
photos: Abdel-Aziz El-Nimr
He hopes that eventually he will be running up to four courses a year, since Egypt, like other Third World countries, "badly needs training facilities and experts," he notes.
While most personnel working with addicts on recovery programmes have a measure of training, Roberts argues they need more specific knowledge, because "you need to understand why someone becomes an addict, and the nature of the pressure on them. We also teach those working with recovering addicts about the role of the family, which is one of the most important components of our approach."
Roberts says that three quarters of his students are themselves recovering addicts; to their personal experience, thanks to ISAACS, they can add theory and some practical exercises.
During the centre's first course, Dr Chris Cook, professor of psychiatry at the Kent Institute of Medicine and Health Science in England, gave a lecture about spirituality and addiction. "We talked about different approaches to treatment that can incorporate a spiritual component," he explains. "It's much easier dealing with addicts who believe in God, because for addicts drugs are God at one stage. They need to recognise that someone is greater than drugs and themselves."
Egypt's Protestant community donated over 70 feddans in Wadi Al-Natrun for the construction of the centre; according to community president Reverend Dr Safwat Al-Bayyadi, "our role also extended to training the people who offer their effort and time there on a voluntary basis."
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