A new detoxification centre in Vancouver is designed to help drug and alcohol addicts who already have a stable living situation and support network. “Often people have not reached out for detox because there is a perception that you don't go for it until you have really hit the bottom,” says Denise Bradshaw, manager of withdrawal services at the Daytox centre. “Here's an opportunity to [get help] before going that far.”
Daytox, which is run by the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, opened last November after a year of planning. Demand has been “more than we anticipated,” says Bradshaw.
The goal of the centre, which is loosely based on a similar facility in Portland, Oregon, is to move beyond immediate detoxification, which takes about a week, to achieve relapse prevention through a comprehensive, long-term program that includes individual and group counselling and basic nursing care. Clients receive an initial assessment from a nurse, who becomes their case manager.
Two-thirds of the clients seen so far are women, mostly aged between 25 and 35. About half are employed and come into the centre before and after work for medication, acupuncture treatment or counselling. Many patients are addicted to heroin and cocaine, while others are withdrawing from opiates or methadone. They range from professionals to residents of the Downtown Eastside, the epicentre of illicit drug use in Vancouver. Although referrals come from a variety of sources, including addicts themselves, Bradshaw is hoping that more family doctors who know patients “struggling with an addiction” will refer people.
The addicts are encouraged to attend the centre daily for the first week, to undergo acupuncture to help minimize their drug craving, and to receive help from drug and alcohol counsellors. Addicts will then usually come 3 times weekly for a total of about 6 weeks, although Bradshaw says that the “biggest unknown is how long people will need.” Later this year, family members will also be offered counselling services.
The centre is slated to cost $377 000 in its first year, after which its effectiveness will be evaluated according to how many people successfully complete their withdrawal from drugs and alcohol. (Vancouver's 24-bed residential detoxification centre costs $1 million annually.) Follow-up is planned at regular intervals for up to a year after patients leave the program.