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Methadone clinic or rehab centre? The tough choices for recovering drug addicts

The Lamu King Fahad Methadone Clinic in Lamu Island. Since its launch in March,2021, 381 clients have been able to undergo methadone treatment.

Photo credit: KALUME KAZUNGU| NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • In Lamu county, statistics seen by Nation.Africa indicate that the Lamu King Fahad MAT clinic has become a source of hope for hard drug addicts compared to the Hindi Rehabilitation centre.

Kenya’s Coast region continues to grapple with a high number of young men and women who are wasting away through the use of hard drugs even as the national conversation on alcohol and substance abuse gathers pace.
This is despite a number of non-governmental organisations having offered rehabilitation avenues over the years especially in Mombasa, Kilifi, Kwale and Lamu counties where the menace is rampant.

Read: ‘Police strangled my brother for swallowing drugs'
The two common choices, which recovering drug users have to make are whether to seek services from a rehabilitation centre or a methadone treatment facility, commonly known as Medically Assisted Therapy (MAT) Clinic.
Although both are said to offer a possible way out for drug addiction depending on a patient’s willingness, there are highs and lows to each choice that must be considered.