Treatment Programmes

Elim Clinic offers the following multi-lingual addiction treatment programmes to people 18 years and older. The duration indicated below is recommended, but can be adjusted according to each person’s individual needs and circumstances.

Alcohol Addiction Treatment Programme:
3 weeks in-patient treatment
Drug Addiction Treatment Programme:
4-5 weeks in-patient treatment
Over the Counter and Prescription Medication Addiction Programme:
4 weeks in-patient treatment
Gambling Addiction Treatment Programme:
3 weeks in-patient treatment

Our multi-disciplinary treatment team consists of a medical doctor, professional nurses, therapists (social workers or psychologist) as well as pastoral counselors. Treatment programmes have been developed to accommodate cultural diversity.

General information regarding in-patient treatment

Assessment:

In order to match the treatment programme with the individual’s needs, all drug patients are assessed before admission to ensure that Elim Clinic’s treatment programme is suitable to their specific needs. Assessments of other patients will be arranged where required.

Admission:

Bookings are essential and can be made by contacting one of our admission officers by phoning
011 975 2951, sending an email to admission@elimclin.co.za or booking a bed online.

Involvement of spouse or significant others:

Elim Clinic provides the opportunity for the spouse, partner or significant others of patients to be involved in treatment. This usually takes place through special sessions during the last week of the patient’s treatment period. Arrangements in this regard can be made with the relevant therapist or clinical manager.

Aftercare:

Elim Clinic supports aftercare, and therefore offers aftercare group meetings weekly on Wednesday evenings from 18:15 to 19:30 at Elim Clinic.

Treatment Fees:

You are welcome to contact us for more information regarding treatment fees.

Relapse Prevention

Addictive medication or medication containing certain substances (such as codeine, ephedrine, ethanol and caffeine) should be avoided by a person who is recovering from alcohol, drug or medication addiction. Using these substances may cause relapse and/or cross addiction.

Please consult your doctor or pharmacist if you have any uncertainty concerning the addictive nature of medication you are buying over the counter, or which has been prescribed for you. Do not hesitate to tell the pharmacist or doctor that you are a recovering alcoholic or drug addict; it can save you from a relapse. Be aware of the content of medication such as cough syrup, tranquilisers, pain killers, benzodiazepine, barbiturates and anti-inflammatory medication.

Methadone, an alternative treatment of heroin addiction

Heroin addiction is an increasingly common phenomenon all over the world, the incidence of heroin addiction in South Africa has increased at an alarming rate over the past two years. International research indicates that the use of methadone, a synthetically manufactured drug, has a long history of efficiency as an alternative for the treatment of heroin addiction.

At Elim Clinic we believe that each individual deserves another chance, an opportunity to come clean and recover from addiction (whether it is alcohol, drugs, medication or gambling addiction). Methadone detoxification and Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) offers the person addicted to heroin that change an opportunity he might otherwise not have had.

Methadone has been registered in South Africa during December 2009. Since August 2010 Elim Clinic are applying Methadone detoxification and (MMT) as alternative for patients who meet the criteria for this specific treatment.

Methadone is not a cure for heroin addiction, but it enables the person, who has become dysfunctional due to his heroin addiction, to be functional again.

Why methadone, you may ask?

These are but a few of the reasons why Methadone is Internationally accepted as the preferred treatment for heroin addiction:

Acute heroin withdrawal symptoms are prevented in that methadone stabilizes the patient physically and emotionally.
Methadone stabilizes a patient’s endorphin levels, which enables the person to feel more comfortable and to function normally without using heroin.
Methadone stabilizes the changes that occur in the brain when a person uses heroin. It therefore relieves the cravings associated with heroin withdrawal, and gives the person a better chance on recovery.
Methadone is a long acting opiate, and therefore dispensed only once a day, which is more practical, especially with MMT.
Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) reduces morbidity, as well as mortality associated with heroin addiction.
MMT has higher retention rates than other treatment modalities.

For further enquiries, or to make a booking for treatment, contact us (Click here to contact us).

What is meant by diagnosis?

Diagnosis can be defined as the identification and labeling of a disease based on its signs and symptoms. Mental health clinicians (psychiatrists, psychologists, and psychiatric nurse practitioners) diagnose mental health disorders using the criteria listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, also known as the DSM, published by the American Psychiatric Association. Currently the DSM IV R is being used as diagnostic tool.

What is meant by dual diagnosis?

Dual diagnosis is a term which refers to one person who has been diagnosed with both a mental health disorder as well as substance use disorder. It may be used interchangeably with "co-occurring disorders" or "co-morbidity." (Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders.)

The unwanted children in psychiatry

Within the field of psychiatry, dual diagnosis has become an expectation, rather than an exception.

The term dual diagnosis refers to a person who has been diagnosed with a substance use disorder as well as a mental health disorder (for instance Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Major Depression and the list goes on). In other words the person has two independent diagnoses.

International research confirms that the majority of patients with mental health disorders have co-existing substance use disorders. At Elim Clinic it is a phenomenon we experience on a daily basis. Our program has been developed to accommodate patients with a substance use disorders as well as patients with a dual diagnosis.

Please note that Elim Clinic accommodates patients with a dual diagnosis under the condition that the patient is stabilized and calm. In order to benefit from the program it is required that all patients are able to function independently within a structured environment and to fully participate in the treatment program. (For more information feel free to contact the clinic).

Generally, at addiction and psychiatric treatment centres in South African, treatment protocols are often designed either to address the substance use disorders or psychiatric disorders. The consequence is that both disorders are being partially treated. Although in theory, substance use disorder and psychiatric disorders are independent, in practice they are interactive. When a mental health disorder as part of a dual diagnosis is not treated efficiently, it might affect the patient in such a way that his or her chances on full recovery from addiction may be limited.

Staff in the psychiatric and addiction treatment centres is often not trained or skilled to facilitate both treatment processes simultaneously. The pitfall is that staff focuses on what they are most skilled to do, which results in patients being “partially” treated while staff unknowingly remains ill-equipped to deal with the problem as a whole.

There is no ‘one size fits all” treatment for a patient with dual diagnoses. One of the most suitable approaches will be to individualize each patient’s treatment plan. Key factors such as the history of the addiction and mental health disorder; previous treatment, treatment outcome, family history and the patient’s support system should be taken into account.

An integrated level of health care will not only prevent the duplication of services, but can be more cost effective to both medical administrators and the patient. Elim Clinic supports the principles and philosophy of an integrated mental health care approach. Despite the challenge we face on a daily basis, our objective is to maintain our focus, and to deliver the best possible quality service to all our patients.

Margaret Augustyn, Clinical Manager & Susan van Niekerk, Senior Social Worker (both from Elim Clinic)