Addicts learn to help themselves by helping and supporting each other

Members of the public got a rare insight on the weekend into how the capital rehabilitates its drug addicts.

It was the first time that the public security bureau had opened the doors to the Sunflower community center within the Compulsive Addiction Treatment Center of Beijing.

"The capital used to follow compulsive drug treatment, but Sunflower community center tries to explore humanized treatment," said Xu Benshu, head of the center.

That works exclusively with female addicts.

Many of the women receiving treatment have checked themselves in for detox while others are taken there by their families or referred by law enforcement officers. "The success of the facility is in the numbers," said Xu.

Since it was built in 1995, he said 16,000 people have gone through its rehabilitation program. Many have not returned to drugs and 60 have even gone as far as electing to stay on as volunteers to help other addicts beat their dependency.

The 20 members of the public who got to tour the center on the weekend applied to go via the police department's official micro blog - Peace Beijing. Several hundred people asked to go on the tour, which was aimed at raising awareness of drug addiction.

The Sunflower community center follows a system similar to the Daytop program, one of the oldest drug-treatment programs in the US, which emphasizes the role of peer interaction in treatment. It is estimated that 85 percent of those who go through the program stay clean.

At the Sunflower community center, female patients are called family members and largely manage their own lives. They are divided into four categories, depending on their level of involvement and the assistance they show to others.

The lowest level, the general service group, is responsible for simple things such as the lending of books.

The sanitary group above it is responsible for cleaning for the 28 females in the community, while the catering group takes on the responsibility of cooking meals.

The highest level group is the stimulation team, which maintains order and supervises the daily lives of the others.

"Usually, there is only one police officer in the community and the daily management is done by the members," said a 30-year-old patient named Liu who entered the community nine months ago.

"By mutually helping and supervising each other, the members develop a positive attitude toward life," added an instructor surnamed Guo.

She added that the center needs to help the patients break not only their addiction but their mental dependency and that is done by building self-confidence.

"They are not only physically addicted to drugs, but more terribly, psychologically," said Guo.

And she said the most difficult time for most patients comes after they leave the facility at the end of their two-year stay and have to go back into the real world where they may not have the same level of support.

Liu said the fear of leaving hangs over her.

"Sometimes, I really want to go back home to join my parents, but I really do not want to leave this family," Liu said. "If I leave the shelter, drug dealers could always find me, even though I want to quit."

Curiosity ranks as the main reason why the women started using drugs. Some sought excitement or said they were cheated into becoming addicts. Some said they were influenced by family members.

More than 80 percent are younger than 35.

In a bid to help the women after they leave, police officers make follow-up calls.

"A follow-up visit may help them resist drug temptation, but whether they retake drugs or not is really up to them," said a staff member surnamed Liu.