Alcohol & DRUGS – Awareness
Keeping in view that the primary prevention helps to arrest he proliferation of substance abuse to a large extent Prajna has been organizing community awareness programmes on depicting the baneful effects of substance abuse so that the message goes down to the grass-root level.
The main objectives of Comprehensive Community Awareness Programme are as follows:
- Enlightening the public about the disease concept of substance abuse in terms of its medical, psychological and other related problems.
- Banishing myths and misconceptions pertaining to substance use in the community.
- Identifying and Educating the high risk individuals.
- Tackling the problems of denial and refusal of treatment by a majority of addicts.
- Strengthening the existing treatment facilities in the city through networking of co- oriented therapeutic services.
- Actively Involving human and material resources of the Community in Awareness Generation Programmes.
We have reached out to various target groups i.e., general public and high risk groups in the community like rural poor, women’s groups, schools, colleges, churches, youth-clubs, neo-literates groups, voluntaries, service oriented organizations, village panchayats, mandal panchayats, etc.
‘De-Addiction Centre’ to prevent violence against women and children - 1992
‘Prajna De-addiction Centre’ is the main projects of Prajna established on 2nd January 1992, recognized and sponsored by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Govt. of India, New Delhi. It runs 30 Bedded full pledged ‘De-addiction and Rehabilitation Centre’ at Ujjodi, Mangalore
‘Prajna De-addiction Centre’ offers holistic treatment through residential and multi--disciplinary, therapeutic services by a team of experts comprising of psychiatrics, physicians, para-medical staff, counsellors, psychologists, social workers, yoga therapists and para-professional staff i.e., recovered addicts. The medical module integrated with the Community Oriented Approach adopted at the ‘De-addiction Centre’ has vastly contributed towards the great success and achievements of our De-addiction Programme.
- Since its inception, De-addiction Centre has successfully treated and rehabilitated 14,232 addicts of which 9,909 men alcoholics, 187 women alcoholics and 124 drug addicts, beside this 4,012 addicts were underwent treatment for the second time recovery and sober rate is 70%.
Special focus for women addicts
The plight of women alcoholics in Dakshina Kannada is a great concern to Prajna. The complex nature of women alcoholics needs special care and attention in order to treat them effectively, the prominent being a separate de-addiction wing for women addicts. Prajna De-addiction Centre has bee registering a steady increase in the referral of women addicts.
Special focus for street children addicts
Prajna has been rendering services to street children on a case to case basis, who are addicted to alchohol, petrol, drugs, eraser liquid and similar addictive substances.
Community-Oriented De-addiction Camps
The treatment for alcoholism through the community camp approach is a relatively new concept. The idea is to reach out to the unreachable. The standard system is for alcoholics and their families to come to de-addiction centres. In our country, this system excludes those who have neither the resources nor the time to come to a city from interior rural areas, get themselves admitted into the centre and spend 21 days there.
The camps are held at village schools or community hall, or hospitals, patients are admitted and treated at the campsite. Daily meetings along with family and community gatherings are held. The family and community closely monitor the entire process.
- Since 1995 Prajna Counselling Centre has organized a 10-day 43 Community Oriented De-Addiction Camps covering over 350 remote rural, semi-urban and slum areas of Dakshina Kannada and parts of its neighbouring districts. 1622 addicts hailing from poor and marginal families have been successfully treated and rehabilitated.
