Youths complete drug rehabilitation programme

Twenty-seven youths have successfully completed a Caritas drug rehabilitation programme, graduating at a ceremony at the San Blas complex yesterday.

At present, 226 young people are undergoing different phases of the programme, while 240 members of their families are in a family therapy programme tailor-made for their needs.

Caritas Malta director Mgr Victor Grech said the law needed to hit the drug traffickers and those who distributed alcohol to minors.

He said legislators were realising that it was better to encourage addicts to follow a rehabilitation programme, rather than being thrown into jail, or put on methadone maintenance.

A survey carried out by Caritas in state secondary schools in 2002 revealed that many adolescents were at risk.

Last year, 74 adolescents, aged between 13 and 17, who had already started abusing drugs, requested the help of Caritas.

The need to offer vulnerable adolescents more personal attention in schools has been felt, Mgr Grech said.

Often people who took drugs had bad interpersonal relationships and a low self-esteem. They tried to compensate for this and the anxiety their negative environment created by escaping into a fantasy world, Mgr Grech explained.

Those who were overcome by alcoholism and drugs were normally weak and needed attention, compassion, treatment and cure, he said.

On the other hand, the society, short of values, in which today's youths lived, required a radical change in its structures, he said, adding that when the family weakened, so did the social structures.

Statistics show that eight out of every 10 persons, who complete a rehabilitation programme remained clean, do not commit any crimes, manage to integrate into society and lead successful lives.

Those who complete a programme, but with interruptions, showed a lower rate of success. However, a large number managed to recuperate.

Among those, who, for valid reasons, were unable to continue the programme, a substantial prevalence of acute psychological problems prevail.

In its message on the occasion of World Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, Caritas said abuse and dependence on drugs were not decreasing in Malta; rather the effects on health have become more critical.

Mgr Grech said "youths today are embarking on a dangerous journey that is wreaking havoc in their lives and, in some cases, leading to fatal overdoses. Others are dabbling in criminal activity to sustain their drug dependence."

No institution on its own, he said, could safeguard children and youths from this social plague and the coordination and development of services was essential for the protection of the family from the ravages of drug abuse.

Mgr Grech spoke of the acute need to curtail even further the transport of drugs by air and sea and to weaken the network of clandestine dealings.

"Law enforcers are doing their utmost, but their efforts should be appreciated more and supported through the cooperation of every Maltese citizen, who has the well-being of youths at heart.

"It is not enough to control the supply of drugs if greater efforts are not made to curb the demand for them, which can be controlled through education and the imparting of personal and social life skills."

Mgr Grech warned that if a collective and coordinated effort was not sustained, life would soon be endangered by a more serious threat to health: hepatitis, HIV and Aids - diseases that were closely related to the use and exchange of infected syringes.

On behalf of Caritas Malta, Mgr Grech appealed to everyone to understand their responsibilities in the face of the challenge.

"We cannot gamble with life. Every effort must be made to protect it."

In a message on the occasion of World Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, Opposition spokesman for home affairs, Gavin Gulia, urged the police and the armed forces to intensify their surveillance of the coast to fight the illegal importation of drugs.

MLP spokesman for social solidarity, Marie Louise Coleiro, spoke about the need for a national effort to fight the siege against Maltese youths from those who, out of greed for money, were indulging in an illicit business.

The graduation ceremony, which included songs by Voices, dances and the experiences of residents, was held under the patronage of President Guido de Marco, who delivered a message of solidarity.