The Sound Mind Initiative, a Non-governmental Organisation, has trained stakeholders in the mental health profession on best ways of treatment, prevention and care for people with substance use disorder.
The Executive Director of the organisation, Dr Peter Adenibuyan, made this known at the opening of the five-day training tagged: “Universal Recovery Curriculum (URC)” on Monday in Lagos.
Adenibuyan explained that the training originated from a programme by the Drug Advisory Programme (DAP), U.S.
According to him, the curriculum aims to teach social workers, psychologists, doctors, caregivers, policy makers, implementers among others on the best professional way of helping people who are recovering from substance use disorder in Nigeria.
He described substance use/drug abuse as a global problem in both developed and developing countries, which affects a lot of people.
He decried that substance use had ruined the lives of many people, affecting their work, earnings and overall livelihood.
“The effects of substance use disorder has become a serious burden to many youths, adults parents and families, with many being unable to cope with in their workplaces and with daily activities.
“So, the URC programme is designed to teach professionals and stakeholders in mental health field on how best to help people who have substance use disorder.
“It is a very vast curriculum that covers many areas of worry in our contemporary world when it relates to substance use.
“By the end of the training, participants should be well transformed and informed with evidence-based facilities about their recovery roles and better ways of treating people with substance use disorder,” Adenibuyan said.
He, therefore, urged the Federal Government to put in place policies to regulate the time for selling and consumption of the drugs, as a way of checkmating the effects of drugs abuse in the society.
He suggested that a policy could be made to ban consumption and selling of these substances during the day-time and working hours, to make it available only at nights.
“Alcohol is also one the substances that affects people negatively. In the 70s and 60s, we don’t have alcohol in sachets, but now alcohol is in sachets, making it easier for people to carry it around and consume at will.
“Presently in Nigeria, a lot people are addicted to different substances ranging from tramadol, cocaine, opioids among others substances that are very rampant in every corners of the country.
“The gatemen are selling; mallams are selling and other people are selling too.
“But, if there is no demand, there won’t be supply. If people are asking for these substances, definitely people will not sell.
“But if the policy-makers can come up with policy to control the timing for consumption and selling of these substances to limit it to only night times, it will go a long way to checkmate substance use disorder in the country,” he said.
