Breaking a drug addiction cycle is difficult, but not impossible. Help is available for the individual and family members here at WE CARE, in the form of addiction counselling, educational and therapy programmes and 12-Step self-help recovery support groups. 

Drug addiction is viewed as chronic and relapsing 

When you are actively using, addiction hijacks your brain, and makes drug-using its chief priority. During this cycle of active drug use, the brain undergoes chemistry changes where it associates pleasure with drug use and its environment. This memory association embeds itself as a trigger so that you are reminded of the pleasures of drug use. 

You will experience intense craving when the euphoria of the drug wears off. And when you undergo withdrawal, the pain of physical withdrawal symptoms is so great that, you have to use in order to avoid the pain. To address the physiological effects of drugs, you need to seek medical help for detoxification. 

After medical detoxification, the drugs will be expelled out of the body. But because of the brain chemistry changes, a drug user can be triggered by drug-related cues and stimuli, to use the drug again so as to relive the pleasures it brings. When you are triggered, you tend to display an optimistic bias and to ignore the risks and costs associated with drug use. The risk of relapse is increased if you are also undergoing a personal crisis. Counselling is helpful to address these psychological dependencies. 

Help and Treatment

Seek professional help early to reduce the harmful consequences and social and economic costs arising from excessive drug use. 

Screening - The aim of the initial session is to identify the presence of the drug use problems and/or effect of negative consequences of excessive drug use. Our professional WE CARE counsellor will screen for any other existing mental health conditions to gain a deeper understanding of our client. 

Assessment - This is a comprehensive understanding of the severity and depth of the drug use problem in the client's life situation. We also evaluate the individual's strengths, weaknesses, problems and needs so we can determine an effective solution. Potential risks, and how they are to be managed, will be integrated into the treatment planning. If medical detoxification is required, the client will be referred to the appropriate agency, as WE CARE does not offer medical detox services. Otherwise, a suitable treatment plan can proceed, after a discussion with the client, and with his approval. 

Treatment Planning + Counselling - Tailored to the client's needs, the treatment plan will also establish immediate and long-term goals. A discussion of WE CARE's holistic services is included in the treatment planning. The length of the recovery approach will depend, among other factors, on the intensity of the client's drug use problem. 

Your sessions with WE CARE counsellors are strictly private and confidential.