Heed the child – project for prevention of drug distribution among Bulgarian students

published on 12/16/09 1:24 PM

A day-care center for teenagers using drugs will be opened in Sofia, said head of the National Center for Drug addicts, Dr. Tsveta Raycheva. This will happen within the framework of the project ‘Heed the child’ worked out by the center and financed under the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area with donor countries such as Island, Lichtenstein and Norway:

“Our research shows that about 35% of Bulgarian students between 7th and 12th grade have used drugs at least once in their lives”, said Dr. Tsveta Raycheva head of the National Center for Drug addicts and manager of the project. “The use of amphetamines and ecstasy is on the increase. Another problem is the increase of alcohol consumption by teenagers. There are young people who simply experiment with various psychotropic substances. Most of them won’t become addicts but this is a highly risky behavior. The aim of the project is to work with youth and prevent possible future problems.”

The project ‘Heed the child’ National Center for Drug addicts will be carried out in several directions. The first one is opening a free-of-charge national phone line for consultations on drug addiction and alcohol consumption. The second one is related to training experts from heath, solace and educational institutions from across the country to conduct regular screenings and point treatment of drug use. “We’ve organized two happenings to popularize the project”, says Dr. Raycheva and adds that Sofia City Municipality has provided rooms for hosting the center where young drug addicts can be treated:

“This will be a day-care center in which experts will work with the young addicts and their parents. Group and individual consultations will also be held there. There will be interest clubs, sport activities and art workshops. We plan to provide opportunities for the children to do something interesting in their spare time. It has been proven that drugs cause the discharge of endorphins which provoke the feeling of satisfaction and fulfillment. However, sports and creative activities can also stimulate these same feelings. That’s why we seek to stress precisely these activities”, says Dr. Tsveta Raycheva in conclusion.

English version: Delian Zahariev

По публикацията работи: Diana Hristakieva

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