DESPITE South Africa’s progressive legislation on the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, a lack of funding has hampered its implementation, causing a multi-billion-rand dent in the country’s economy every year.
In terms of absenteeism, lost productivity, health and welfare costs, and alcohol-related crime, alcohol abuse alone costs the country R37.9-billion, or 10% of the Gross Domestic Product annually.
According to research carried out in 2009, 20% of all South Africans (one in five) abuse mind-altering substances, with alcohol, pain killers (codeine) and dagga leading the way.
The increased use of illicit drugs suggests South Africa is losing the war on substance abuse.
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Appearing to corroborate these findings, SANCA recently stated that South Africa is a net exporter of cocaine, and that the country has a substance abuse problem twice the global average.
Adding to South Africa’s seemingly inefficient dealing with substance abuse is its ‘old ideas of treatment’.
This is according to Dr Eugene Allers, a member of the South African Society of Psychiatrists (SASOP).
He said the outmoded approach to treatment focusing on social rehabilitation and encouragement of abstinence and behaviour change, had been replaced by the view that addiction is a medical condition requiring multi-disciplinary interventions.
‘Sobriety is no longer considered the only measure of success, but rather the ability of the patient to be free of illicit drugs and functional,’ he said.
He said substance abuse and mental illness are closely linked, with one often leading to another.
‘Accompanying psychiatric disorders need to be treated along with the substance abuse issue to ensure a good outcome.
‘Although access to treatment has improved over the past few years, funding is still highly problematic, especially for medically-assisted treatment.’
He said government’s latest legislation on the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, together with the national Drug Master Plan, is comprehensive and reaches across government departments and professional disciplines to address the issue from multiple perspectives.
But without sufficient funding from both the state and private healthcare providers, they lack the power to significantly address substance abuse in South Africa.
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