Plagued with increasing numbers of teen alcoholics and drug addicts, Norway has chosen Turkey as a site for their rehabilitation.
The overcast weather throughout Norway hinders the rehabilitation of teenagers with substance addictions, so the Norwegian government has collaborated with health establishments in Antalya, where the sun shines year round, to treat the Norwegian citizens. Groups of Norwegian teens will soon begin travelling to Antalya for two-and-a-half-month rehabilitation programs featuring both medical care and group therapy sessions.
Aspendos Private Hospital executive board chairman Dr. Ferhat Kayan says his institution prepared a report on the proposal and submitted it to the Health Ministry’s Alcohol and Drug Addition Scientific Board. The project will come to life next September, he said, noting that the arrangement was particularly timely as the number of teens involved in substance abuse in Norway rose every day. The lack of sunshine can negatively affect the rehabilitation of teenagers, Kayan said, explaining: "The Norwegian authorities say this is among the reasons that youths return to the streets before being rehabilitated. When they were unable to reach the level of success they wanted in their programs, they began to see Turkey as a solution. They were drawn to Antalya for its sunshine, which acts as an antidepressant."
When an agreement was reached between the two countries, work began to prepare a therapy program in collaboration with health centres and psychiatric specialists in Antalya. The first 10 days of the program aim to detoxify the teens’ bodily systems. Later, group therapy sessions will be arranged with the help of specialist counsellors to ensure that the youths have the motivation necessary to free them from their addictions and enable them to adapt to returning to society without drugs or alcohol. At the end of two-and-a-half weeks, the youths will return to Norway.
In the coming days the Alcohol and Drug Addiction Scientific Board is expected to give its decision on whether or not to approve the therapy plan.
Elderly also travel for treatment
Norway hosts not only facilities to rehabilitate youth, but is also a centre of healing for the elderly. Between Jan. 15 and May 15, 2009, 200 seniors will come to Antalya to be treated for various illnesses. Among them will be Norwegians over 65 years of age who will stay in hotels in Belek. The seniors will first receive a medical screening according to their specific ailments. They will then go through four-month therapy programs in groups. Norway has a population of 4.5 million, and over 800,000 Norwegians are over the age of 65, Kayan said. As this project continues, he said, it will result in the foundation of a centre for geriatric medicine in Turkey.
Resource: Today’s Zaman
