Proposition
Substance abuse and addiction problems are on the rise. In the Benelux countries there are currently over 2.5 million people who are dependent on alcohol, drugs, prescription drugs, gambling, sex or who have an eating disorder.
When people think about addicts, they usually think of someone from the lower social classes: someone who is down at heel, or homeless. Quite opposite is true: 80% of people with a dependency problem come from the higher and middle social classes of our society. These are people who work, many of whom hold a senior position in the business community or the non-profit sector. They are people with seemingly excellent social lives: they have a partner, a family and a wide circle of friends.
Increasing demands, rapid change, and cutthroat competition both in and outside of the workplace, economic strains: all of this often leads to feelings of stress and burnout, and people start looking for ways to release the tension. This is often found in alcohol or drugs; gambling or sex, prescription drugs and/or food.
In the meantime, science has proven that there is a genetic predisposition for the dependency on substances such as alcohol and drugs. Addiction is a biological, psychological and social condition. These three pillars all influence each other. Addiction is a disease that is not limited to one domain, physical or psychological: it is linked to multiple domains within the life of the addict.
It may take years before someone is ready to admit that he or she has a problem with addiction that he or she is not able to resolve on his/her own. People will maintain for a long time that they will be able to quit based on their own willpower and strength. Furthermore, it is not considered common practice within our Western culture to ask for help if one suffers from psychological problems. Thus, many people continue their struggle for an unwarrantedly long time– with all its consequences – while adequate help is available.
More and more people see that a professional treatment that is tailored to their own individual problems is far more likely to succeed. What is crucial, however, is that help is actually offered the very moment people are for it. SolutionS can be contacted 24/7 and does not have any waiting lists.
SolutionS offers its help in the form of clinical treatment in its own clinic in Voorthuizen or in one of its partner clinics abroad, to be followed by an intense 3-month outpatient programme. In certain cases, the entire programme can be followed as an outpatient.