Drugs kill 80,000 Russians a year

It was posted by Reuters and later other news outlets that drugs kill 80,000 Russians a year. This is a significant number anytime, but especially in light of Russia's population is only 140 million. (To put this in American figures, our population is roughly 300 million and we were to lost 170,000 a year to drugs).

Thus it is not too surprising that many of our churches in throughout the former Soviet Union have started their own drug rehabilitation centers. I have had the occasion to visit some of these. Many times these centers are nothing more than a safe house led by a married couple who accompany the addicts as they go cold turkey which is followed up by weeks of biblical teaching and occupational therapy while living at the rehab center.

As is stated in the article, the Russian medical system also does have programs for drug addicts, but rates of reoccurrence are very high noting that counseling is highly ineffective while patients are sedated.

Detoxification centers are widespread, but since they don't combine with rehabilitation programs, their effectiveness is "negligible," the report said.

Russian law also bans the opiate substitute methadone from being prescribed to heroin users, despite its successful use in many countries, HRW said.

"The lack of effective drug addiction treatment in Russia means that drug users who want to break their addiction cannot, and are condemned to a life of continued drug use," said Diederik Lohman.

Many of our students and pastors were former drug addicts. And it is not surprising they they have a heart to help others were have been held in bonds of drug abuse. More than any other country in Europe that I've seen, working with drug addicts is a vital ministry of the church in its effort to reach and change society.