Egypt joins Geneva negotiations on Global Plastics Treaty, calls for urgent agreement    Egypt delivers over 30 million health services through public hospitals in H1 2025    Madinet Masr in talks for three land plots in Riyadh as part of Saudi expansion    Egypt's PM tells Palestinian PM that Rafah crossing is working 24/7 for aid    Egypt, Japan discuss economic ties, preparations for TICAD conference    Real Estate Developers urge flexible land pricing, streamlined licensing, and dollar-based transactions    Egypt's Sisi pledges full state support for telecoms, tech investment    EGP inches down vs. USD at Sunday's trading close    EGX launches 1st phone app    Escalation in Gaza, West Bank as Israeli strikes continue amid mounting international criticism    Egypt recovers collection of ancient artefacts from Netherlands    Egypt, UNDP discuss outcomes of joint projects, future environmental cooperation    Egypt harvests 315,000 cubic metres of rainwater in Sinai as part of flash flood protection measures    After Putin summit, Trump says peace deal is best way to end Ukraine war    Egypt, Namibia explore closer pharmaceutical cooperation    Jordan condemns Israeli PM remarks on 'Greater Israel'    Renowned Egyptian novelist Sonallah Ibrahim dies at 88    Egyptian, Ugandan Presidents open business forum to boost trade    Al-Sisi says any party thinking Egypt will neglect water rights is 'completely mistaken'    Egypt's Sisi warns against unilateral Nile measures, reaffirms Egypt's water security stance    Egypt's Sisi, Uganda's Museveni discuss boosting ties    Egypt, Huawei explore healthcare digital transformation cooperation    Egypt's Sisi, Sudan's Idris discuss strategic ties, stability    Egypt's govt. issues licensing controls for used cooking oil activities    Egypt to inaugurate Grand Egyptian Museum on 1 November    Egypt's Sisi: Egypt is gateway for aid to Gaza, not displacement    Greco-Roman rock-cut tombs unearthed in Egypt's Aswan    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Saudi company studies US addiction aid for Muslims
Published in Daily News Egypt on 30 - 05 - 2010

DETROIT: Mohammed Al-Turaiki left his traditional Saudi Arabian headdress behind in favor of a blazer and sweater as he made the rounds at one of the United States' oldest addiction treatment centers.
He had traveled 7,000 miles (11,265 kilometers) to Michigan in hope of finding answers to a problem so taboo in the conservative Muslim kingdom that no official statistics exist: alcohol and drug addiction.
Alcohol is illegal in Saudi Arabia, where a strict interpretation of Islam forbids everything from liquor to allowing women to drive.
For those who suffer from alcohol and drug abuse, treatment is scarce and the stigma so great that most never talk about their addiction, even to close family members.
Al-Turaiki, the chief executive of the Riyadh-based Saudi Care for Rehabilitation and Health Care, is trying to change the negative image of addiction by creating a network of treatment facilities in the oil-rich kingdom.
He came to Brighton Hospital earlier this year to check out the facility and its treatment programs that have long have included the Detroit region's large Arab and Muslim population.
"When I made the rounds in the hospital, patients who saw me tossed out a few words in Arabic to see if I would respond," Al-Turaiki said. "I felt at home."
During his weeklong visit to Brighton earlier this year, Al-Turaiki learned about the 60-year-old hospital's links with the broader community, including Arab-American social services groups that provide substance abuse counseling and one that developed one of America's first Arabic-English 12-step program.
"We will need to build an Islamically grounded 12-step culture and meetings to support patients post-discharge," said Al-Turaiki, whose company plans to build a public-private 250-bed treatment hospital and referral centers not just in Saudi but throughout the Middle East.
While at Brighton, he met with Alec Berry, an 82-year-old US-born Arab and Muslim who helped create the bilingual program.
Berry, an alcoholic who has been sober for more than 40 years, is planning to go to Saudi Arabia later this year and develop post-treatment programs if Brighton and Saudi Care finalize their consulting agreement in the weeks ahead.
Brighton and Saudi officials speak regularly by phone and the proposed agreement calls for Brighton officials to visit the kingdom and provide guidance on design, construction, management and clinical services.
"They could see this is a very spiritual program that will fit in with Islam very easily — it's seamless, almost," said Berry, who has attended meetings at Brighton for years and credits the facility with assisting his own recovery.
The 12-step program at Brighton forms the core of the recovery program established by Alcoholics Anonymous, which isn't allied with any religion or sect.
But Al-Turaiki and Berry say the program resonates with Muslims, since the third step speaks of turning one's life "over to the care of God as we understood him."
Despite the success of 12-step programs, one the biggest roadblocks to recovery and awareness in Muslim and Arab communities is denial and shame.
"In the Arabic-Muslim community, because Islam forbids the use of alcohol, you can imagine how much more intense the denial system is going to be," said Berry, a therapist.
Brighton tries to combat feelings by giving every patient a roommate, said Dr. Mark Menestrina, director of the detoxification unit. And during meetings with patients, Menestrina said he has had an Arab-American friend who has been sober for more than three years talk with patients in Arabic.
"It also helps to have identification with people similar to you," he said.
"They need to know they're not alone."
Al-Turaiki knows of no statistics on the rates of addiction or relapse in Saudi Arabia, but said the odds of success "are at least twice as unfavorable as recorded in the best treatment centers in the US"
Though some in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East secretly seek treatment in the West for addiction, Al-Turaiki said the kingdom must have its own centers to help suffering addicts who can't afford to leave.
"We know the gap is too wide between the needs of addicts for treatment and rehabilitation and the facilities and expertise to deliver it, because addiction is stigmatized and it is chronic," he said.
He stressed that a strict prohibition on intoxicants shouldn't keep a community or country from helping addicts.
"Islam encourages Muslims to find treatment for alcohol and drug addiction," he said. "The Muslim community supports every effort that its brothers and sisters take to draw back the veil of intoxication."
Berry said even with the cultural modifications, getting more Arabs and Muslims to acknowledge addiction and enter treatment will require more people to carry the message.
He said Al-Turaiki and Saudi Care recognized the power and potential of the first-person connection at their first meeting.
"They saw a recovering Arab-Muslim," he said.


Clic here to read the story from its source.