EFFEKCTIVENESS OF TREATMENT OF DRUG ADDICTS AND THEIR SOCIAL INTEGRATION.

The Effectiveness of Therpay for Drug Addicts and Their Integration within Society The purpose of my thesis "The Effectiveness of Therapy for Drug Addicts and Their Integration in Society" is to elucidate the lifestyles of addicts during different stages of therapy and to help people to understand the problems of drug addicts. The function of the brain can be altered by a number of psycho-active drugs that can influence a person's behavior, conscience, morals and mood. Drug addiction results in an uncontrollable urge to acquire drugs, regardless of the consequences. This behavior leads to a gradual exclusion of the drug addict from society. Re-integration into society must be the goal of treatment. The social exclusion of addicts seriously hampers their attemts to find employment. Many addicts started to use illicit drugs before the age of 18 years. Their education has not been completed and their bonds with their family members have been broken. Health problems caused by drugs, alcohol, a low quality nourishment, often untreated infections, poor hygiene, poor or absent living arrangements are factors that contribute to the exclusion of drug addicts from society. The abstinence from drugs, for longer than three months, creates a precondition for recovery and re-integration into society. However, in the absence of a postive change in attitude of the addict towards society and in the abscence of a social safety net, drug abstinence alone does not represent a reliably positive prognostic indicator. Complex social services that include protected housing, employment, job counselling, out-patient or in-patient psychotherapy, are necessary for successful treatment