Dubai: Dubai Police have helped a man overcome his drug addiction after his wife discovered his problem and sought police assistance.
The woman contacted Hemaya International Centre at the General Department of Narcotics Control in Dubai Police to inquire about the uses of syringes and medical drugs, after she noticed that her husband was hiding them in his private locker.
After requesting psychological support and guidance from social consultants at the centre, she was able to help her husband take the decision to seek treatment.
Colonel Abdullah Al Khayat, director of Hemaya International Centre, said the woman contacted the centre through one of the Dubai Police channels dedicated to communicating with the public and receiving reports, and attached in her message a picture of injections and medical drugs for which she wanted more information regarding their possible uses. She told police that her concern for her husband prompted her to see help from the centre. She preferred that her communication with the centre be done remotely.
Col Al Khayat said: “On our part, we made it clear to her that we value her contact with us and that we will study her case and help her in all possible ways. We also explained to her that these injections are used for abuse or for therapeutic purposes. As for the pills, they are a psychological treatment for depression, and taking medications is governed by many controls, perhaps the most prominent of which is adherence to the doses, quantity and the specified time period. Failure to comply with this results in serious complications that may reach the point of death.”
Surprise find
When asked how she had found the syringes and medical drugs, she explained that she noticed her little son messing around in a cupboard dedicated to his father’s personal belongings, so she went to take him to another place to play. She was surprised to find medical drugs and syringes hidden inside the cupboard. She took pictures of them from her phone. She went to the dining room and asked her husband why he kept the items. He was shocked that his wife found the items and told her that it was for his friend, saying she could get rid of them because they were not important. She took the initiative and threw them in the trash.
Suspicious behaviour
Col Al Khayat said the wife’s dissatisfaction with the matter encouraged her to communicate with Hemaya International Centre. The wife later disclosed some suspicious behaviour of her husband, such as his frequent visits to psychiatric clinics and his taking of medical drugs, which greatly affected their marital relationship and made him very irritable, besides staying out till late at night with his friends.
She also pointed out that he seemed normal and peaceful at times but “turned into another person” after taking these medical drugs, which made her think more than once about separation. But her loyalty and respect for their marital bond encouraged her to be patient, and communicate with the competent authorities to find appropriate solutions.
Continuous guidance
Col Al Khayat said based on the wife’s desire that the centre should not have any contact with her husband or direct intervention to deal with the matter, they made her aware of the importance of guiding the husband during the times when she feels that he is a normal and peaceful person. They urged to contact the competent authorities for treatment instead of continuing to take drugs that would destroy his health and family.
Col Al Khayat said with the continuous follow-up to the developments of the situation, the wife succeeded in convincing her husband of the dangers of taking depression medication and being influenced “by bad friends”, and encouraged him to approach one of the specialised treatment centres in the country, to begin the journey of recovery under the supervision of experts and specialists.
