Psychotherapy and effective counselling are imperative to check the increasing menace of drug addiction. This was the consensus reached among the speakers of a seminar on "Changing Attitudes to Drugs Use and Its Consequences", organised jointly by Alleviate Addiction Suffering (AAS) and Helpline Trust here on Friday.
They observed that use of drugs was on the increase all over the world and people dealing with drugs addiction problem should focus on the middle economic classes which within the next 10-15 years would make an impact on the infrastructure of the society.Earlier welcoming the audience, Abdul Rehman Allana, a counsellor, introduced CPPD as a London-based counselling school which has recently finished first diploma course in counselling skills and is going to offer a next one in coming April.
He mentioned that the diploma in counselling skills was aimed to equip students with a broad range of theory and skills, encouraging personal development and the confidence to practice as professional and ethical counsellors.
Another counsellor and tutor of the course, Jamie Gidlow Jackson, who has also been involved in working with addiction for 20 years and worked in rehabilitation units, highlighted the objectives of the course and delivered a lecture on the subject. He urged on doctors, counsellors and general healthcare workers to explore and understand this age-old problem.
Gidlow Jackson debated at length on the subject and encompassed various aspects of the issue ranging from the factors responsible for indulgence in addiction to its possible cure. He was of the view that the use of mind-altering substances was common in almost all the cultures alike as the adolescents used them for recreational purposes to feel good. However, the problems arose when the drug dependency started to show the signs of unmanageability.
The co-director CPPD (UK), Lynne Kaye who is also an accredited counsellor also spoke on the occasion.