Addiction is not discriminatory since it victimizes individuals from all ages, economic and ethnic backgrounds.
There are no straight lines to recovery. It is a dynamic process with the afflicted progressing, relapsing, learning, and progressing again as many times as necessary.
Addiction itself is a biopsychosocial disorder involving compulsive engagement in rewarding stimuli - despite the harmful consequences.
The four main stages of drug addiction are experimentation, regular use, risky use/abuse, and drug addiction and dependency.
Medavie Health Services with Saskatchewan Health Authority has partnered with community paramedics for a new approach to combating addiction with an at-home detox program that offers medical support for individuals choosing to detoxify.
“We have noticed that clients who have accessed this program prior to attending a detox facility are more prepared to complete the 10-14 day program we offer here, as they are not experiencing physical symptoms as severe which results in less likelihood of them leaving early,” said Shauna Anderson, Director of Wakamow Manor.
The home detox program can be accessed through a referral from any healthcare provider. The connections can include assistance with placement at the Wakamow Manor Social Detox Centre.
While Wakamow Manor is not a full-treatment centre, they accept patients from throughout the province and prepare clients to not only go into longer term treatment, but to provide connection to community supports and tools in place. Clients are helped to develop healthy coping mechanisms.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately 25-35 per cent of clients accessed Wakamow Manor’s services more than once.
Due to COVID-19, individuals may complete social detox, only to be be faced with a two month wait in order to get into a treatment facility.
“As much as we have wait lists, treatment centres also have wait lists, so with the transitioning period between detox and treatment, continuation of services is most important when an individual is wanting to go from that detox to treatment component to start their journey. Right now that is not available,” explained Chad Topp, Executive Director of Thunder Creek Rehabilitation Association, which operates Wakamow Manor.
“The first 48 to 72 hours is the most important in the detoxification process; we call this the fight or flight stage. More often than not, while the client is experiencing a serious withdrawal, they need medication to get them through the process. We find that if the client doesn’t receive that medical support, they're at risk of leaving the program.”
“While clients may have supports available in the same environment they originally came from, going back into that toxic environment makes it very difficult to move forward as there is more of a risk of relapsing and not going to or following though with treatment,” Anderson said.
A transitional facility between the detox and treatment centre would provide individuals with lasting additional supports and an environment that ultimately would lessen the number of relapses, allowing centres to accept more new patients.
For now, the community paramedics who offer at-home medical support are doing amazing work in supporting people with addictions. Each additional support provided to people with substance abuse disorders increases the capacity of the system.
