JEDDAH, 7 June 2007 — Abu Arzag, a 41-year-old former drug addict, is preparing to pack his bags and leave a drug rehabilitation center where he has spent a year trying to kick his over 20-year drug habit.
“I was spoiled by my family because I’m the youngest. They gave me all the money I wanted. I don’t blame them, but this was one of the causes,” said Abu Arzag, who has a high-school degree.
Abu Arzag’s life of drugs began in the early 1980s on a holiday with friends to Thailand. “I liked my stay there. Thailand is an open country and all kinds of drugs were available and easy to find. I tried marijuana, opium, heroin and cocaine. I then became hooked on heroin,” he said, adding that he ended up staying in Thailand for four years.
Abu Arzag’s family used to periodically send him $1,500 to $2,000, which would be enough for five months in Thailand. In addition, he said, he “had his own ways” of getting money by robbing Arab tourists. “We used to rob Arabs, who would come for trade,” he said.
His mother and sisters used to telephone him crying and asking him to return after they learned that he had become a drug addict. Finally, his cousin went to Thailand and found him in a bar drunk and high on drugs. With the help of the Saudi Embassy his family arranged a flight and he returned to the Kingdom in 1984.
“On return I was sent to prison for four months for illegally staying in Thailand. They didn’t know I was a drug addict because no tests were done on me,” he said, adding that on release he became familiar with Jeddah’s murky drugs underworld.
To feed his addiction he began stealing and selling drugs. Abu Arzag’s family grew desperate and so moved to Riyadh. After being imprisoned on his return in 1984, Abu Arzag has been to prison on three separate occasions, serving two prison sentences of five years each for dealing in drugs and another two years for doing drugs.
His friend, who asked to remain anonymous, said that drugs are easily available in prison, something that has contributed to worsening Abu Arzag’s situation. On release, Abu Arzag said he felt ill and so went to Al-Amal Hospital, a drug rehabilitation center. A few weeks later he left only to return to his old ways.
Finally, in May 2006, Abu Arzag decided he wanted to quit drugs altogether and voluntarily arrived at Al-Amal Hospital and joined a drug rehabilitation program. “I was bad mannered. There was no spiritual or religious side of my life. My attitude was violent and I was anxious all the time,” he said.
The drug rehabilitation program at the hospital takes around eight months to complete and varies according to different patients. The treatment starts with a removal of the drugs from patients’ blood, followed by a focus on their attitude and then an effort to rehabilitate them into wider society.
“My family is in Riyadh because of me, not because they like it there. I will stay here (in Jeddah) and face my problem here because this is the city where I have abused drugs the most. I know the places where drugs can be bought. I want to be able to fight temptations here,” he said.
Abu Arzag now carries his past with him in his pocket. He has written about his life as a drug addict on a piece of paper, which he carries with him. “I still miss drugs. Every time I feel like smoking drugs, I take out the paper and read my history to remind me of my past misery,” he said.
“I pray to God that all addicts make their way to hospital and are treated the way I have been... You won’t be able to be treated without a hospital,” he said, adding that to be cured drug addicts need to be honest, committed and true to themselves.
Abdul Hakim Hazzaa, a drug counselor at the hospital, said it all begins with a cigarette. Hazzaa is a drug counselor, who also used to be a former addict. After having kicked the habit and lived a normal life for three years, Hazzaa was hired by the hospital to counsel other addicts.
Former drug addicts selected to become counselors undertake a one-year course, which is run in cooperation with the King Abdul Aziz University (KAAU). Between 20 to 25 former drug addicts are selected for the course and aspiring counselors learn about neurobiology, psychology, sociology and Islamic culture. On successful completion of exams, graduates are accredited with a certificate from KAAU.
Dr. Mohammed Shawoosh, general supervisor for programs at Al-Amal Hospital, said that every ward has a qualified counselor.
Hazzaa has managed to progress to work in Ward C, which is the most difficult stage for rehabilitating drug addicts. “Addiction is not a disease that gets treated and that’s it,” said Hazzaa, adding that addiction is of three stages: User, abuser and addict. He added that there is a thin line between the three and that people do not realize they are moving from one stage to another.
“Some addicts reach a stage where they want to quit their addiction but are afraid of going to hospital because they’re scared people may end up knowing about them,” said Hazzaa, adding that having a desire to change is a basic requirement for rehabilitation.
Addicts that are forced by their families to seek help wonder why their loved ones are depriving them of what they enjoy. “Such people are not convinced that they have a problem... This happens especially with hashish users, which is not thought to be addictive,” said Hazzaa.
Hashish comes under the category of psychological addiction. “Underestimating the dangers of hashish is one of the reasons why it has spread among the youngsters. Another reason is that drugs awareness campaigns always concentrate on heroin and shows people injecting heroin. No one mentions hash,” he said.
Hazzaa’s job in Ward C involves correcting the wrong perceptions that patients have, reforming their attitude and helping them change their lifestyles for the better. They learn to develop a daily schedule, which involves different activities. They also learn to pray and participate in sports.
The life of addicts is pretty random. They sleep during the day and remain awake at night. “As soon as addicts wake up, they think of how to get money to buy more drugs. After that they think about the next dose of drugs and how to get money for that,” he said.
Hazzaa said that sometimes some patients leave hospital and return to their old ways. He added that drug counselors work on helping patients develop self-esteem.
Dr. Shawoosh said that psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, drug councilors and religious councilors are on hand to provide support to drug addicts. Other members of the team include sports trainers and vocational trainers.
“Drug counselors are highly effective because they join both their education and personal addiction experience in benefiting others,” Dr. Shawoosh said.
The 276-bed Al-Amal Hospital remains in contact with rehabilitated drug addicts after they leave. When vacancies arise for drug counselors, the administration identifies suitable people. “They must have given up using drugs for a certain period, have the desire to change, and have communication and verbal skills. Even after they work, they still undergo supervision and tests because any small mistake will negatively affect patients,” said Dr. Shawoosh.
The hospital now has 16 drug counselors. “They are motivated people who work overtime as well. They are eager to help others just as they found people helping them,” said Dr. Shawoosh.
For Abu Arzag, the Al-Amal Hospital has worked wonders. He is just beginning a new drug-free life. He now wishes to start a website to highlight the dangers of drug addiction. Advising youngsters, he said: “Friends are very influential. They can make you follow their route for the better or worse. I don’t advise the youth to go on holidays with their friends or spend late hours with them. Parents must supervise their children well. It all starts with smoking and ends with drugs.”
(Al-Amal Hospital can be contacted on 02-6549762. Calls are answered by qualified drug counselors.)
