Interview with Counselor Lubna Abdelrahman – Part-2

Alaa Babiker

 I created the Addiction Treatment Fund that has 500 members and we need more to join

The visit to Gadreen Center for Addiction Treatment and Rehabilitation was very productive, as the information Counselor Lubna Abdelrahman provided us in PART-1 of the interview has many explanations to why many of the serious crimes occur in Khartoum.

Now enjoy reading the final Part-2 of the interview. It is important to mention that Counselor Lubna never forgets her Sudanese Identity and she always consider herself an ambassador of Sudan, and to represent that she always attends international conferences wearing the Sudanese traditional women dress known as Tobe.

Q2: when you receive a patient inside the center, what are the first medical investigations you do?

A2: we are working hard to have a complete laboratory with international standardized devices. But currently for patients we use an investigation and treatment protocol; which is implemented as follows:-

1. Comprehensive medical assessment. Addiction is associated with HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B&C virus, Hepatic and Renal Complications, therefore when any patient enters the center we first make physical assessment, followed by a blood investigation including CBC, RFT, LFT, UG, and screening for HBV, HCV, and HIV.
2. Then we carry out a Detox (which is the process of removing toxic substances from the body) that takes from 7 – 14 days specially in the case of heavy users of Heroin, Cocaine, and Crystal Meth.
3. The next step is the Psychological Rehabilitation; 10 – 20 sessions for each person depending on the type of the substance he/she uses, the amount of drug taken, and the behavior of the addict including any sexual complications present. We have 3 professional counsellors managing the behavioral and counseling sessions.
4. the forth step is the Relaxation Therapy including: Listening to Qura’an, Music Therapy, group sessions Therapy, and Intra-Session disclosure (with the presence of 2 therapist observers to conclude a general and specific analyses).
5. Performing of After-Service Care, in which a patient checks-in every 3 weeks for medical checks. Even if he is from other states we manage to regulate his medical Check-In.
6. Implementing the approach of Golden Goal; in which we help patients to determine their career path. In this regard, one of the companies communicated with me to employ three young engineers who were Ex-Addicts and are now clear to move on with their future.

In every 10 patients we have 3 from other states, which represents 30% of the patients. These patients come from Kassala, Gadaref, Damazine, Zalengi, El-Fasher, AL-Obaied, Atbara, and Nyala. Therefore; One of the proposals I made to the Minister of Social Welfare is how to make treatment plans for patients coming from other States, and that was after I was assigned by the Minister of Health, Mr. Haytham Mohammed Ibrahim, as a consultant for addiction treatment through awareness and guidance.

In conclusion, the main causes for drug abuse and addiction in Sudan are:-

2. Family issues.
3. Low Self Esteem.
4. Psychological Shocks associated with the recent Sudanese Revolution.
5. Emotional Shocks.
6. Academic Shocks (Harsh Punishments – for example; the expelling a number of 35 students all at once due to drug abuse).
7. Retardation of school’s activities.
8. Retardation of the Security status.
9. Lack of entertainment amusement parks, public gardens, and sports activities.

Gadreen Center for Addiction Treatment and Rehabilitation is the first organization to accommodate Human and Child Rights of Homeless children in the process of Addiction Treatment. In Sudan many homeless children are being exploited in drugs trade especially the trade of the substance called Silicone, which is used as a drug, and has severe side effects on teeth and lungs.

Our main goal is to discover the main causes behind addiction, because this helps greatly in the treatment process. After the investigations, if the patient is found to have HBV/HCV or HIV viruses, we inform and follow up with the whole family until all members are screened and vaccinated against the specific virus.

Q3: Does the patient come to the center by his own? With friends? or with his family?

A3: It is mandatory that the patient comes with his family. It is a great responsibility to have an addict between your hands without the knowledge of his family, as many complications might happen.

Q4: What is the treatment protocol you follow?

A4: I implement an international treatment protocol, in which I designed the whole strategic treatment program, based on researches we made on all in and out patients that concluded 90% of them are addict due to family issues (Divorces, Domestic Violence, Underestimation and Neglection, Parents being Expatriates).

After completing the treatment protocol, the patient has to stay at the center for a period of 3 – 6 months according to the substance he uses.

Q5: At which states could we say that drugs are more spread?

A5: At Red Sea State, Kassala, and Al-Gadarif.

The first large shipment of ICE drug entered Sudan in 2018 through some drug dealers coming from foreign countries. They started factories to synthesis the tablets, which is now more improved to manufacture even larger amounts of the drug.

Q6: Any recommendations?

A6: the solution of the problem should be at different levels:

1. I send messages to families to give more care and attention to their children and youth.
2. The other message I send to the government regarding the need to raise the level of security in the country.
3. We need to strengthen our religious faith through a public acceptable Islamic figure to address

youth in a manner understandable to them.

4. The old-fashioned media has to be revived and start publishing interactive content that involves youth and their activities.
5. The social media content needs to be monitored by special police units, as some drug dealers use such media to promote their work.
6. Minor addicts should not be incarcerated with dealers at the same jail cells, sometimes it happens that a minor addict is put for a week or so with older drug dealers until being transferred to juvenile facilities.
7. One of the recommendations I implemented is the establishment of a new treatment approach, which is the Addiction Treatment Fund; it has 500 members so far but we still need more to join. All members are donating not just money but other vital materials we use every day at Gadreen center.

In the end; we were honored to have this productive interview with Counselor Lubna Abdelrahman, as she promised to provide us with some of her important researches on Drugs and Addiction in Sudan.

Do not forget to join the Addiction Treatment Fund created by Counselor Lubna Abdelrahman to help raise awareness about Drugs and Addiction, and to help provide the Center with the vital materials they need to complete the treatment process. You can donate directly through their bank account provided in the image in this article. Or you can call them at the provided number for more details, or you can visit the center and donate vital materials of every day use.