Drug abuse is something like a global pandemic, now, and most countries are finding ways to counter this problem, and possibly find ways to totally eradicate the scourge from the planet. Many governments of nations fund organizations that are involved in educating and counseling people on the ill effects of drug abuse. Although, many de-addiction programs and rehabilitation centers are run by government and non-governmental organizations to treat and counsel addicts, a significant percentage of addicts treated and counseled here get back to their addictive habits for want of proper follow-up practices. Typically, in a traditional drug rehab program, an addict is detoxified, and counseling is provided to the addict to help him or her understand the negative effects drug abuse can cause to one’s health and life. The addict stays clean until such time he or she is within reach of the counselors, but once he or she is out of the range of the support group and gets within the range of the addict group, the addict immediately returns back to drug abuse. This is one of the reasons why traditional de-addiction/rehabilitation programs have not achieved the desired results. Now, some bright minds have come up with innovative solutions using technology to bring about better results.
Marlon Parker, who works as an IT lecturer in the Cape Peninsula University of Technology in South Africa has come up with a solution that uses technology with a bit of ingenuity. He found that the cell phone was a very important instrument that can be used to counsel drug addicts even after their rehabilitation programs. He found that the cell phone, given its popularity with the younger generation, could play an important role in helping the counselors reach out to the addicts who are in need of constant counseling. He also found that social networking sites, especially Facebook, could help the addicts and counselors stay in touch with each other. The result is Mixit–a free chat service for drug addicts. Mixit is a free instant messaging service that can be run on cell phones and computers. It uses General Packet Data Service (GPRS) or 3G instead of the standard Short Messaging Service (SMS) technology. Addicts can get in touch with counselors on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and there are about 8.6 million users of Mixit, today, which speaks highly of the benefits of this technology.
Researchers at the Center for Health Enhancement Systems Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have come up with an innovative solution making use of Information Technology to improve treatment and recovery programs to victims of substance abuse. They named this program “Innovations for Recovery” and launched it in 2008. Using a combination of mobile technology, computer applications and the Internet, the researchers found that assessment, alerts, tracking, social support, counseling, and education can be imparted virtually to addicts who need help. They found that this model improved the addict-counselor interaction process easier and effective. Similarly, a recent pilot study done showed that Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology is useful in monitoring subjects with alcohol dependency problems. IVR is an automated telephone information system that can be used by alcohol addicts to self-monitor their progress by interacting with the system through a series of voice operated responses and by pressing a few buttons. The studies concluded that the subjects found remarkable changes in their behavioral patterns and addictive urges through the use of the IVR system. Effective monitoring and support through the use of technology definitely improves results are the findings of all the studies done, so far.
And, we thought that cell phones, social networking sites and the Internet were only for people who wanted to pass the time or make money! Professionals imparting treatment and counseling, and the addicts who need help will only stand to gain more using technology, and the reach and effectiveness of counseling and treatment for substance abuse can only get better from this day forwards.
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