Heroin the trend among Indonesian addicts

Heroin the trend among Indonesian addicts

JAKARTA (JP): Heroin appears to have been the drug of choice
for Indonesian youths over the past three years, an expert said
on Saturday.

"Although there is not yet any official data on drug use in
Indonesia, most of the patients treated at our drug
rehabilitation center have a heroin problem," said Sudirman M.A.,
the director of the Drug Rehabilitation Center at Fatmawati
Hospital.

"There were 1,799 cases of heroin users in 1996. In 1999, the
figure increased to 8,823," he said during a break in a seminar
on diagnosing and treating opiate dependency.

From 1995 to 1996, ecstasy was the most common drug for
addicts, he said.

Heroin is categorized as an opiate, similar to morphine.

Heroin, which is known here as putauw, is a semisynthetic
compound that is three to five times stronger than morphine.

A person who uses heroin can become an addict in a very short
period of time. According to some health officials, after using
heroin for three to four days a person will be in a condition of
dependency.

Official data from the Ministry of National Education shows at
least 1,875 students from 318 junior high schools and high
schools in the capital are known to have used drugs this year.

There are now numerous rehabilitation centers in Indonesia,
most located in the capital. But the number of addicts in the
centers remains relatively small.

Only 575 of the 1,875 students in the capital known to have
taken drugs have gone to a rehabilitation center, according to
the data.

The ministry hypothesized that this was a result of the high
cost of treatment.

Sudirman said the average cost for a stay in a rehabilitation
center was Rp 3 million (US$320).

Each rehabilitation center has its own program to help
addicts, he said.

"Some of them offer medical treatment, while others prefer to
use a religious approach. The addicts can choose the most
suitable method for them," he said.

However, he suggested that those considering rehabilitation
consider three things: the professionalism of the staff, the
equipment available for treatment and the type of the program
itself.

Before joining a rehabilitation program, addicts should first
go through detoxification to free themselves of their dependence.

The most common method of detoxification in Indonesia includes
the naltrexon, which is designed to block the opiate receptor in
the brain.

"The naltrexon should be used regularly for a long period,
probably for about two years," Nurmiati Amir of the Department of
Psychiatry Department at Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital said
during the seminar.

After being detoxed, addicts can then being their
rehabilitation program, she said. (04)