Sanctuary Retreat (2)

---

Sanctuary Retreat is a Malaysia based addiction rehabilitation center which provides affordable treatment to people who are addicted to substances and certain behaviors.

A community service project by Solace, Sanctuary is subsidized to enable a greater number of people to have access to addiction treatment.

Headed by Dr. Premkumar Shanmugam, CEO and clinical director at the Solace, the center is characterized by activities and assessments carried out by a team of international experts in addiction therapy; psychiatrists and psychologists.

History

Sanctuary was launched in November 2017 and was founded by Dr. Premkumar Shanmugam, the CEO and Clinical Director of Solace Sabah. Over the many years running up to the launch of Sanctuary, Dr. Premkumar received numerous inquiries for low-cost treatment. Solace is a premium brand and not many could afford it.

Having had his own life experiences battling addiction and gaining the ability to arrest it, he had built a professional career by learning about the nuances of this baffling affliction. He wanted to share the joys of recovery with people from all walks of life. That was how Sanctuary came into being. Dr.Prem, as he is widely known, is one of the founding members and the Regional Director of the Asia Pacific Certification Board (APCB). APCB is actively involved in certifying addiction counselors/therapists around the Asia Pacific Region. He is also the past President of the Psychotherapy and Counselling Association of Singapore while being one of the founding members as well.

Drug addiction in Malaysia

Statistics say that between January 2010 and February 2016, there have been a total of 131,841 drug addicts who registered with the Home Ministry. They were categorized into three different age groups, based on the largest to lowest number of addicts per category, as shown below:

The largest group of drug addicts come from young adults, aged between 20 to 39 years old, amounting to 93,044 people in total. This was followed by drug addicts in their adulthood, aged 40 years old and above, amounting to a total of 29,355 people. Finally, youths who were 19 years old and below, totaling 8,732 people.

Besides categorizing addicts according to age, those undergoing treatment at cure and care centers, which are part of the National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK) from 2011 to 2015 totaled 20,731 people, of which 46% were new cases and 41% relapsed, making those who relapsed a total of 4,838 people. Female abusers amounted to 3,889 people, of which 14% relapsed, whilst 80% of these female abusers, were indeed new cases.

Treatment

Sanctuary offers a residential program that addresses the biological, psychological, social and spiritual quadrants of the client. At Sanctuary, the treatment and its duration are customized to suit the specific needs of the individual. Treatment is, based on a thorough evaluation and assessment upon admission, conducted with both the client and their family members.

Facilities and features

Sanctuary provides a four-sharing room with a common toilet for its clients. As a part of the program, it runs family workshops, provides nutritious meals, treatment manuals and fun-filled external activities apart from 24-hour security.

Other initiatives

Solace Academy is the latest in a line of new ventures by Solace Family with Sanctuary Retreat preceding it. The main purpose of Solace Academy is to institutionalize knowledge acquisition and knowledge sharing and dissemination happening already at Solace and Sanctuary. It aims to reinforce the ideas and practices that accompany the unique treatment methodology followed at both centers of treatment.

This article "Sanctuary Retreat (2)" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Sanctuary Retreat (2). Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

---