Oscar Godoy is 57 years old and recognizes that he is now a new man. This Chilean assures that coming to Cuba to be treated for an addiction made him rethink his life and learn different ways of dealing with it.
“I came with a very low self-esteem, with an unresolved grief that led me to make mistakes, to have a lot of anxiety and to behave badly. I also suffered from fatigue and work stress, since I work with patients with addiction. That made me start looking on the Internet for a place to get treatment,” she says.
On the website of Comercializadora de Servicios Médicos Cubanos, S. A., Oscar discovered the Addiction Treatment Program on the Antillean island and began to gather information.
“I was looking for a clinic that had a closed regime and the necessary conditions: tranquility in a natural environment and that had professionals, because I needed a lot of psychological help. I was also looking for a place that would treat my other health issues, because I am diabetic and I wanted a place that could control me and take care of me as it should be”.
Oscar Godoy tells how he arrived in Havana in the early morning of August 28, 2023, and was received by a doctor who took him, in a company vehicle, to the La Pradera International Health Center, where he spent the first night.
“Then I was taken to a wonderful center in the city of Holguín: El Quinqué. It is a spacious place, with green areas, private rooms, a restaurant with very good and healthy meals, and a medical team composed of psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, physical education, relaxation and yoga teachers. Very complete and with all the amenities.
“I immediately started working on my emotional issues, my behavior and habits. I had psychological help twice a week, they even offered me more days if I needed them.
“Right now I can say that I am a new person; that I regained my health and love for myself and for life. Addiction causes a lot of hurt and pain, and this program makes you surrender and open your heart so you can heal.”
“We go through a detoxification stage and a detoxification stage, where the patient remains hospitalized. The first is when the person has finished consuming and comes to a process of freeing himself from the use of that substance.
“It is a time when withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety or sleep disorder predominate. We must get the patient free of them, and we do so with therapeutic and also pharmacological support, if necessary,” the specialist points out.
“Dishabituation means modifying lifestyles and ways of coping with everyday situations. People with these pathologies present a pattern of addictive behavior in many spheres, and they have to change it. It is not only a matter of stopping consumption, but also of maintaining the non-consumption of these substances. That is why we work gradually and progressively because it is a process of relearning”.
What characterizes the treatment provided in Cuba? Master Lourdes Hernandez says it is a comprehensive approach, through a multidisciplinary group.
“This team is made up of specialists in internal medicine, psychiatry, psychology, physiatry or rehabilitation, nursing, nutrition and other specialties, according to the patient's needs.
“We combine physical therapy, rehabilitation with psychotherapy (individual and group). From the moment the person enters the center, he/she complies with a program of activities that will help him/her modify behavioral patterns that may be risky. The patient will relearn how to behave in the real scenario.
Oscar assures that he will never forget his experience in Cuba. “I leave with a degree of sadness because I will not see my therapists again, but this is also part of my independence. I'm going to walk on my own with all the tools they taught me.
“This time in Cuba was good for me to train and learn about the disease and about myself. I really recommend Cuban medical services and their program for addiction treatment.”
Taken from Destino Salud