Achievement of drug rehabilitation at Chiang Mai drug depedent treatment center

Abstract

This research was to study the models and consequences of drug rehabilitation in the Chiangmai Drug Dependent Treatment Center. A qualitative approach was taken and data collection was done by interviewing the officers of the Chiangmai Drug Dependent Treatment Center. There were 35 samples comprising 7 male officers and 28 female officers with an age range of 27- 54 years. Most samples had finished a bachelor degree in nursing science and had worked as the medical personnel with 8-15 years of working experience. In general, the interviewers thought that the roots of drug addiction among most patients were family problems, poverty, and stress, failures in nurturing of children, aggression and curiosity about drugs. The problem was most severe among laborers and night workers. It was also prevalent among youth. The samples thought that the problem needed to be dealt with by rehabilitation on one hand and drug suppression by the authorities on the other. Rehabilitation techniques were divided into 2 phases, withdrawing from all toxins, followed by efficient rehabilitation. The Fast Model was used with the outpatients whereas the Therapeutic Community Model was used with the inpatients. However, both models were time consuming with high costs and delays in treatment of the patients. In addition, officers were found to have a high level of knowledge and experience in drug treatment but most ordinary people were unlikely to understand it, which consequently led to growing drug abuse. Smoking and alcohol drinking were, particularly, counted as channels that lead to other types of narcotic drugs. Therefore, the preventive approach was judged to be the best remedy but suppression associated with rehabilitation was, at the same time, imperative. The researcher recommends that additional knowledge should be provided to officers and personnel in the Chiangmai Drug Dependent Treatment Center, through things such as excursions, exchanges of knowledge, and higher education in addictionology in Thailand and abroad. The Ministry