The Northern Territory in Australia has made a move that will see mandatory alcohol rehab for addicts and this has sparked controversy. The social engineering labeled radical is an attempt to solve a worsening alcohol addiction crisis.
There are four planned mandatory alcohol rehab clinics that will be opened in the NT with the first alcohol rehab clinic opened on Monday, July 1, 2013. This facility has 200 beds and will treat drinkers who come from at least 1000 homeless persons in the Darwin area.
Opponents of the NT’s mandatory alcohol rehab clinics warn that the law will be essentially criminalizing a health crisis. Those who will undergo the treatment have a challenge, since if they walk out of the clinic three times before their 12-week period is complete; they face fines or a three-month jail term and criminal charges.
The other three alcohol rehab clinics will be located at Alice Springs, Nhulunbuy and Katherine in the next eighteen months. A fifth alcohol rehab clinic may be opened later on Tiwi Island.
Those who oppose the move say it will mean that those who are locked up in prison and are alcoholics may just increase. They encourage health issues to be looked into, as the lock-up method does not do much to help those involved.
With a success rate of 10% for voluntary rehabilitation, those who support the move argue that the success rates may just improve.
The Bureau of Statistics released data in the country’s 2012 census that shows that the NT area has a homelessness rate that is 17 times higher than other parts of the nation. This translates to 730.7 people out of every 10,000 persons, with the country average standing at 48.9 persons. The two, homelessness and alcoholism seem to be integrated.
There is a group taking a more different approach by collecting homeless persons and organizing health care, facilitating work opportunities, forming relationships and sourcing cheap accommodation, particularly for those who stay away from the bottle. They also help the homeless to clean up and return to their home communities.
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