City surpasses targets at its alcohol and drug treatment sites

Note to editors: this statement follows Mayor De Lille's visit to a City drug and alcohol treatment site in Tafelsig, Mitchells Plain today, 12 November 2014.

This morning I visited one of the City's five drug and alcohol treatment sites, situated in Tafelsig, to assess its operations and the success of the substance abuse treatment programme.

Drug and alcohol abuse is one of the most devastating problems facing our communities. It causes untold destruction and pain to too many families in our city.

As a caring city and one which prioritises creating a safe city, we are doing everything within our power and mandate to provide quality help and support to those battling drug and alcohol abuse.

In addition to our treatment sites, our focused substance abuse strategy also includes interventions such as the 24-hour drug and alcohol helpline (0800 43 57 48), the ‘I have a drug problem' awareness campaign, and various substance abuse prevention programmes.

In order to clamp down on the drug trade, the City's Metro Police and Law Enforcement units work in affected communities daily and undertake specialised operations over weekends against those who continue to distribute and profit off these damaging substances.

Since 2008, we have opened five treatment sites in Tafelsig, Khayelitsha, Delft, Parkwood and Albow Gardens (Brooklyn).

Battling addiction is a challenging task but I am pleased with the success rate at our treatment sites.

The main indicator for success is the percentage of drug-free urine tests. This illustrates how well the programme is functioning in terms of the number of clients who manage to stay free of addictive substances.

The City set itself a target of 65% drug-free tests for all five sites. However, in the last financial year our sites have surpassed this mark, with Tafelsig achieving 83%, Table View 75%, Delft 70%, Parkwood 67% and Khayelitsha 66%.

These treatment facilities offer free alcohol and drug out-patient treatment to communities from within a health facility in order to make the service accessible and affordable, and to offer a range of additional health services.

The treatment is based on methods developed by the Matrix® Institute in the United States. The goal of the model, which is a 16-week structured, intensive out-patient programme, is to ensure that those seeking help can stop abusing substances, stay in treatment, learn about addiction and relapse, receive ongoing support from a trained therapist, become involved in self-help programmes, and be monitored.

Treatment sessions, which involve individual, group and family therapy, are offered several times a week.

The treatment sites have seen marked successes and truly inspiring stories, which I hope will strike a chord with those who need that extra push to get help.

One of the many success stories is that of Thariq Abrahams, aged 28, from Tafelsig who was successfully rehabilitated after battling a drug addiction for more than 10 years. 

He has been able to stay clean for the past two years and started working at treatment sites encouraging other young people and helping them to overcome their addiction.

Thariq is known as one of the most outstanding co-leaders in the treatment programme and also became an Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) worker where he did community outreach work informing people about the programme, encouraging them to seek help, and also following up on old clients.

I was extremely proud to hear about Thariq's remarkable recovery and commend him for being an example to the youth and a symbol to show people that they can be helped.

Over the past seven years, the City has invested millions of rands to establish these treatment sites. We have spent R1,1million in setting up each treatment site.

Unfortunately, many residents are still not aware that the City provides these facilities and services. Part of the reason for my visiting the clinic today was to place the spotlight on the scourge of substance abuse and inform people that there is help available

However, while the City does all it can with limited resources to fight drug and alcohol abuse and provide help, the fight is not just about what government can do for the people affected.

The most crucial part of breaking the habit is for the individual to take responsibility and use the available help effectively. 

Taking responsibility entails adhering to the treatment and requirements for successfully completing the programme, such as attending counselling sessions regularly and using the coping skills and tools, and applying this to everyday life.

Drug and alcohol abuse can be beaten. There are many success stories to prove this. However, a collective effort is required to turn the tide on substance abuse. It is only by working together that we will make progress in winning this fight.

I would like to encourage those who are still battling, to keep on pushing through so that they can turn their lives around and become role models that their communities can be proud of.

Let us continue to make progress possible together and become the city that beats the decades-long plague of drug and alcohol abuse.

Statement issued by Patricia de Lille, Executive Mayor of the City of Cape Town, November 12 2014

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