Workshops to offer help for those with addiction

SINGAPORE — Nine in 10 people battling an addiction do not initially seek professional help for their problem. But a new “college” seeks to change that by reducing the stigma for those seeking help.

Following today’s (Nov 22) launch of the Addiction Recovery College, people with addiction issues and their families can soon seek practical guidance and the first steps to recovery without needing to register as patients.

This new platform of the National Addictions Management Service (NAMS) aims to develop a culture of openness and learning, so that the public can better understand addiction prevention, treatment and wellness.

Starting in January, about four courses held in both English and Mandarin will be conducted monthly at the Institute of Mental Health, so the public can learn more about addiction.

The courses, which will be open to about 20 to 30 people each, will deal with topics such as the hazards of drug use, how to manage cyberaddiction and tips for better sleep.

People with an addiction can also pick up skills on how to cope with stress, and prevent further relapses or more serious addiction issues. The starting fee will be at a subsidised rate of S$15, said an IMH spokesperson.

A departure from the usual big public forums, these smaller workshops aim to provide in-depth sharing sessions, where participants can partake in hands-on activities, listen to the stories of ex-addicts and bring back learning materials on avoiding relapses, for example.

NAMS senior psychologist Lawrence Tan said: “People want to seek help, but they’re afraid of stigma. Instead of seeing their addiction as a disabling problem and their recovery as a chore, we hope ARC can empower them with the knowledge and take better ownership over the management of their addiction.”

NAMS saw about 1,700 new patients seeking help for addictions last year, a 12 per cent increase from 2013.

“This is encouraging, as it indicates an increased willingness to seek help,” Dr Christopher Cheok, vice-chairman of the NAMS Medical Board at IMH, said at this year’s National Addictions Awareness Day, held at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH).

“Even then, we believe there may be (others) struggling with their addictions in silence, either because they’re unaware of the availability of help channels or are in denial.”

Mental health practitioners looking to further hone their skills can also sign up for courses on motivational interviewing, cognitive-behavioural therapy and helping families of addicts, for instance. Such courses will be held twice yearly and cost from S$60 for a half-day seminar, S$120 for one day and S$240 for two days.

The college officially kicked off with a series of 16 free workshops at KTPH on cyber addiction, alcohol and substance abuse and credit management.

They were conducted by experts from NAMS and its community partners such as the Central Narcotics Bureau, Health Promotion Board and Credit Counselling Singapore.

About 250 people signed up for today’s courses. One of them was research assistant Benjamin Low, 26, who attended a workshop on cyberaddiction and learnt the issue was not just about the addict.

“For instance, the relationship between parent and child needs to be the central focus,” he said. “With a good relationship, you can talk to them about Internet use. A good relationship also makes other things better, like having dinner together.”

This year’s National Addictions Awareness Day, themed “Together for the Better”, was jointly organised by NAMS, KTPH and North West Community Development Council.