Rubén Hurtado Olayo now considers himself a healthy man, but it was not always that way. At the age of 35, he started down a path that was difficult to leave: the use of narcotics. He did it out of curiosity, to improve his performance at work, and to gain acceptance from a group of friends at the time. They also used drugs, and in his desire to fit in he nearly lost everything, especially his family.

According to his account, he tried to hide his addiction for several years, but after a decade his family noticed drastic changes in his behavior. At first they were surprised, because he had always been a leader in the home and a very healthy person. However, they never left him alone and supported him unconditionally when he sought professional help. By then, cocaine had already wreaked havoc on his personal and professional life.

Although born in Mexico, Hurtado Olayo is a U.S. citizen. In the United States he owns a company where everything had been going well; however, drug use led to financial and mental problems: he began to fail at work, stopped going to church, and distanced himself from everyone around him.

In the midst of that reality, he entered one of the best clinics for addiction treatment in his home country. However, the stay was brief and he did not find the peace or the approach necessary for complete rehabilitation: “I stayed clean for almost a year, but I returned to the same environment and relapsed,” he explains.

It was then that a nephew, a former medical student in the province of Las Tunas in Cuba, recommended that he come to treat his addiction, specifically at the International Therapeutic Community Cocal-Quinqué, located in Holguín.

“I thought about it many times. I tried to travel, but the addiction and the nerves from not knowing anyone here held me back. One day I made up my mind and arrived at this health center. The first moments were filled with fear, but I committed myself because I wanted to get out of this and become a better man,” Rubén recalls.

After two or three weeks at the institution he felt better and began interacting with other people, both patients and staff, whom he describes as kind, welcoming, and very professional. As the days passed, he says, his mood and health improved and he gained confidence; he became more focused and stayed for the three months required by the therapy.

During his first stay at Cocal-Quinqué he learned about the strictness of Cuba’s laws regarding drugs and found peace and a multidisciplinary team of specialists who helped him. There he studied, learned, and recovered.

In his opinion, rehabilitation in Cuba has particular characteristics that contributed to those positive results: the duration of treatment, comprehensive and personalized care according to each patient’s needs, the development of skills, tools, and new knowledge through occupational therapy and courses, which facilitate better social reintegration and even the ability to live in environments where drugs exist without relapsing—one of the main objectives of the Cuban program.

“After the required 90 days hospitalized, I stayed one more month in the city of Holguín to make sure I was well and to see what else I needed. Then I returned to the United States and had another relapse. I spent two very difficult months. I returned to Cocal-Quinqué as soon as I could and stayed for three weeks. After being discharged, I decided to settle in Holguín, and so far things have gone very well. Rehabilitation is lifelong, but physically and mentally I feel perfect. I like it here and I plan to stay because this is my place, and I am close to those who welcomed me as family years ago and saved me,” says the Mexican-American who has now become, in spirit, Cuban.

Hurtado Olayo’s greatest wish is to remain healthy and fully recover his family, friends, and everything he almost lost because of drugs. He knows firsthand the destructive power of narcotics; therefore, he warns about the importance of never starting and at the same time recommends that those who need help and are able to do so seek treatment at the Therapeutic Community in Holguín, because—he argues—they will find an excellent environment and professionals who will treat them with respect and dignity.

By: Beatriz Vaillant Rodríguez
Taken from Destino Salud Magazine