Formerly an evangelistic centre, GUTS Foundation in Drammen, South of Oslo, has become a rehabilitation center for people addicted to drugs and desiring to stop.
The Church of Philadelphia, a Pentecostal movement, is now managing the centre.
In an interview Audun Langgaard, who doubles as a social worker and a youth pastor in the church, explained to Public Agenda that recruitment was based on recommendation by the various districts / commune who then bore the financial responsibility for the upkeep of persons admitted at the centre.
"People here don't come from the streets but contact their communes to see if they can get help. The commune then assesses and takes a decision because it costs a lot to cater for each person admitted here, about 23, 000 Norwegian Kroner (NOK) approximately 4062.9223 US dollar to."
He said when such persons are brought to the centre; they investigate their history / background, ask for goals of the commune and that of the addicts themselves and try to achieve them so they can be on their own when they go out. In the last three months, their rooms have been full of inmates and there are others on waiting list.
Thus the centre is now embarking on an infrastructural expansion in order to accommodate more people. According to Audun, the ages of patrons of the centre, all males, often range between the ages of 18 to 55 years. He said plans are underway to get a place for couples who come for rehabilitation.
He attributed the upsurge in number of inmates to of a new policy by the various communes to remove drug addicts from the streets and better their lots. The centre has an interesting mix of workers, youth, adults, Christians, house mums and people who have a history of drugs.
Typical of a Christian centre, there is an attempt to inculcate the inmates with Christian principles and so a pastor comes around every Tuesday to share the Word of God with them. Patrons here can after two months go out on their own to start life.
"That is our main goal for them. Others also go for further treatment after here if it is necessary and if their communes can afford".
People who are admitted to GUTS can only go out during the first two weeks under supervision, afterwards when they behave well then they are allowed to go on minor trips. Family members are allowed to visit them and they also permitted to visit them if they behave themselves very well.
Audun disclose that the centre employs stiffer rules on what goes out and comes in at all times adding that there have been positive examples of people living at the centre for three months and not using drugs.
"We carry out a drug test on all of them each week." He seems not perturbed about perceived risks involved in what he and his colleagues are doing there. In his opinion, most of the people who behave violently do so because they are under the influence of drugs or alcohol. "If we behave well when they are mad then there can be no problems. I have been threatened and screamed at but then it is not them, something else is pushing them so I'm not bothered. I see it as part of my ministry."
He stressed that people's ability to reform will always be about them and what they want, therefore if they want to take the big choices at the right time and resist temptation it will work for them.
He advised that people need to learn to take small steps, be decisive and avoid people with questionable characters.
"Here we also help them to build new and healthy relationships and not the same old drug companies they have. They also learn how to see themselves from broad perspectives; doing basic things like cleaning their own apartments among others".
He added that the fundamental issue is to make them understand why they need to do the things required of them. Abuse of narcotic drugs can mean the illegal or excessive use of drugs.
In Ghana and other parts of Africa marijuana, also known as Indian hemp, is the most commonly used illicit drug. It is estimated that 4.7% of the global population, aged 15 to 64 years, or 185 million people, consume illicit drugs annually.
Majority of teenagers are influenced into taking drugs by their peers when they are made to believe that it can enhance their capacity to learn. Smoking of marijuana affects the lungs.
The injecting of heroin into the body causes the spread of HIV among the users when one is infected, because they share the syringe used in taking in the drug. Users of narcotic drugs more often than not end up in psychiatric hospitals and find it difficult to recover.
Drug addiction causes societal unrest and all forms of social vices. It is hoped that Ghana's new mental health law when passed will include a package to rescue persons addicted to drugs.
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