Yes, a solution to Ice addiction is within reach
ICE
Currently in Victoria some health professionals say that the resources in Victoria are at least only 20% of what is currently offered in New South Wales. There have been Inquiries and “summits” and ongoing discussions about why the “Ice plague” in Victoria cannot be contained. Make contact with any rehabilitation facility in Victoria right now and they will tell you there is a waiting list of between two to nine months to get into treatment. Some will even tell you that their waiting lists are closed till further notice. Regarding detox – often a detox will not even do a phone assessment with you until you have a place in a rehab and so for some it seems like a “catch 22” situation and for others it simply seems too overwhelming to even carry on with. Getting a son or daughter or partner into treatment is a thankless task – especially when often that person doesn’t even want to go into treatment themselves.
There are other solutions however to this problem. With Ice it is often better that the addict goes to another state for treatment because they must be away from all their ‘triggers‘ while they focus on acquiring the skills and tools to manage cravings and to make healthier living choices. So the fact that resources are not so accessible in Victoria is not a major barrier as seeking treatment elsewhere will give them time away and breathing space away from reminders of Ice and the rituals they have that are related to their using.
Another story that Victorian newspapers are telling is that Victorian detox facilities are not set up to accommodate the detox characteristics for this particular drug. I don’t agree with this. I currently work in a facility that manages Ice addicts as well as Alcoholics, Heroin addicts and Marijuana addicts and those on Synthetic drugs. Their detoxing processes are very expertly accommodated in this facility. The staff have been educated in the techniques required to support a client in amphetamine withdrawal appropriately. Sometimes this may only take 5 days and on other occasions 8 days.
I have recommended clients detox from Ice at several detox centres in Melbourne and they have successfully completed their detoxes and then carried on to rehabilitation following this. My point is that there are ways of accessing detox facilities and rehabs at the moment for Ice withdrawal and treatment but you just need to know who to contact and also the addict must be willing to seek treatment outside the local area. If this is the case then a solution to Ice addiction is within reach.
Ice inquiry: detox options not sufficient in Ballarat
Article from The Courier online, 18 November 2013
www.thecourier.com.au/story/1915579/ice-inquiry-detox-options-not-sufficient-in-ballarat/
