There is a huge grey area when it comes to tackling teen drug abuse in the UAE, with those aged 15 to 18 most at risk of falling prey to drug addiction.

Speaking candidly about the menace of drug addiction across the country, Dr Abdulqader Ebrahim Al Khayat, chairman of the Board at the Erada Centre for Treatment and Rehab, said that from a legal point of view, abusers under the age of 18 cannot be convicted for drug offences.

From a medical point of view, appropriate treatment options are few and far between for this age group.

As such, he described it as a "no mans land", where young teens are being left open and vulnerable to offend and re-offend, as far as experimenting with and abusing drugs goes. "Nobody is responsible for these teens. Most have already left school, so that safety net is gone. They are at an age when parents cannot force them to do things, so we need to address this gap. It's a no man's land."

As a former crime lab specialist, Dr Al Khayat is calling on police authorities to create a special force to focus on teenagers vulnerable to drug addiction.

Most prevalent drugs:
- Crystal meth (crystal methamphetamine)
- Opioids
- Prescription drugs (mainly Pregabalin)
- Spice (synthetic cannabinoids)

Main reasons for drug addiction
- Peer pressure
- Family issues
- Increased accessibility
- Over spoilt

"The legal system only deals with teens aged 18 and above, but what about monitoring younger ages? We need to create a new team, a drug prevention team to target this age group. Currently, they are falling under the radar. We need to catch them before they spiral out of control."

For Dr Al Khayat, the introduction of an independent centre that treats young teens as inpatients is the need of the hour. "At Erada, we can only treat under-18s as outpatients, but they really need inpatient treatment. Once they turn 18, many have already been through a real crisis and most have been abusing drugs for 2-3 years. They are in the midst of addiction."

Opening in February 2017, Erada has so far treated 487 patients for drug and alcohol abuse in the space of just 15 months.

Of that number, 60 per cent are aged between 18-27-years-old, with the majority in the 18-23 age bracket. Four months ago, the centre also opened up a unit for female patients and has since received 27 admissions (25 Emirati women and two Western expats).

"That is alarming. We did not expect so many admissions in such a short period. Most are of college-going age," Dr Alkhayat said.

With 40 new cases presenting at the centre every month, it is a telling sign, he said. "The number of drug addicts and abusers in the 1980s and '90s was low. The UAE was viewed as being a transit place for drug trafficking, but now it has become a hub for abusers."

Although drugs "always existed" here, he said the approach to combating them has now changed.

"The plan back then was to stop trafficking; now we are targeting abusers because we need to prevent this trend of addiction."

Of the 487 patient cases treated by Erada, 85 per cent are UAE nationals, 4 per cent are from the GCC and 11 per cent are other expatriates.

As a voluntary rehab centre, 85 per cent of patients have been admitted through self- or family-referral; 7-10 per cent through the legal system and the rest through hospital recommendations.

Most prevalent drugs
When it comes to the types of drugs most often abused by patients being treated at Erada, Dr Alkhayat said the most prevalent is crystal meth (crystal methamphetamine), followed by opioids, prescription drugs (mainly Pregabalin), and then spice (synthetic cannabinoids).

The most common reasons for falling into addiction are peer pressure, family issues, increased availability of drugs, and children being spoilt. "The internet and e-shopping has massively impacted accessibility to drugs. But the most common thing we see is peer pressure. Sadly, many of these young teens are falling into addiction out of pure curiosity. They try a drug because their friends do, then they get addicted."

With the availability of drugs almost impossible to prevent in the digital age, Dr Al Khayat said educating teens on self-immunity - with society-wide involvement - is the best form of prevention. "As well as a police drug prevention team focused on the youth, some other suggestions to help curb this is the introduction of a drug unit within the school setting to educate and monitor students. Also, on-site counsellors at schools are integral in tackling addiction among youth."

With addiction classified as a mental disease, the right treatment requires prescribed drugs and intense mental training, he noted. "Legal punishment is not the solution to tackling this disease. A conviction may promote taking ownership of your offence, but it doesn't prevent addiction in the long run." 

ERADA STATISTICS
. 487 patients treated in 15 months at Erada

. 27 female admissions in 4 months

. 60% of patients aged 18-27

. 15-18 years, critical age for danger of addiction 

. 30% of patients experience relapse

. 40 new cases per month at Erada

. 42 beds (inpatient capacity); 33 beds full (as of June 2018)

Patient breakdown at Erada:
. UAE nationals - 85%

. GCC - 4%

. Other countries - 11%

Erada programmes:
8-week inpatient programme including: '12-step' (30-50 sessions); 're-lapse and prevention' (40 sessions); '99' (a spiritual, homemade by Erada programme); Family groups, self-development, self-awareness sessions.

SOURCE : KHALEEJTIMES