Addiction to one or more substances such as alcohol, nicotine and drugs is fast becoming an epidemic. A renowned psychologist says nearly 20 per cent of the total population is addicted to one or more substances.
Alarmingly, the number of people getting addicted is increasing at the rate of almost 30 per cent every year, making substance addiction a major cause for concern. Health experts say that tackling addiction must become a priority for the Health Department, failing which it will assume epidemic proportions.
A. Shanmugiah, Head, Department of Psychiatry, Coimbatore Medical College Hospital, which runs a de-addiction centre, says alcohol addiction has become common in this region.
Most of the patients treated here are in the age group of 30 to 40 years, thereby making addiction a loss to the economy as well.
“Smoking has almost become omnipresent. Sadly, nicotine addiction is not being tackled by the society with the vigour needed,” he says. The Centre treats around 20 to 25 new patients every month. This was in addition to the out patients who number another 100 persons approximately.
According to him, the root causes are social factors such as peer pressure, stress caused by relationship and financial problems besides marital disharmony. However, there have also been cases when addiction runs in the family. In such cases, it almost becomes a genetic factor when a majority of family members are addicted.
Community prevention measures are the need of the hour, Dr. Shanmugiah says adding that the media, too, have to play a proactive role in preventing addiction.
B. Elayaraja, counselling psychologist, 104 Helpline, says they provide counselling in sessions lasting 20 to 30 minutes during the initial call. Later, they follow it up with cognitive therapy, psycho-education, motivational interview and supportive therapy, over the phone.
At the end of such therapies, the patient is directed to the appropriate resource person in their locality, he adds.
