A natural response to drug misuse problems: a review of drug-user treatment services of Bangladesh

Substance abuse disorders treatment in El Salvador: analysis of policy-making-related failure

Illicit drug use and substance abuse disorders have increased dramatically in developing countries during recent decades. Sadly, treatment for people diagnosed as manifesting and/or attributed with substance abuse disorders in developing countries is usually inadequate to meet demand, not evidence based, and of poor quality. In response, international health organizations have developed best-practice guidelines for substance user treatment in developing countries, although little research has evaluated their implementation. This opinion piece will examine one such effort to improve substance user treatment in El Salvador. It will be argued that the program failed (2007-2008) because of a lack of political will by the Salvadoran government through their Ministry of Health to effectively supervise, monitor, and subsidize substance user treatment.

With God's help i can do it: crack users? Formal and informal recovery experiences in El Salvador

Crack use has increased dramatically in El Salvador in the last few decades. As with other developing countries with sudden onsets of drug problems, El Salvador has few medical staff trained in addictions treatment. Little research has examined drug users? attempts to reduce or abstain from drug use in countries where government-regulated formal medical treatment for drug addiction is scarce. This paper uses qualitative and quantitative data gathered from active crack users to explore their formal and informal strategies to reduce or abstain from drugs, and compares these with components of informal and formal treatment in developed countries.