[Cooperation with drug addiction rehabilitation center in Hokkaido area]

There are about sixty therapeutic communities for drug dependence called DARC (Drug Addiction Rehabilitation Center) that is the only rehabilitation facilities managed by staffs recovered from drug dependence to use the method of twelve steps in Japan. DARC plays an important role to resolve problems of drug dependence. The subject matter of this paper concerns how medical services should cooperate with DARC. A few studies had pointed out that DARC had some outstanding problems. But there have been no studies based on longitudinal observations. I have been cooperating with DARC in Hokkaido area (HDARC) for seven years. I reported the prognosis and the employment in the users of HDARC, as well as the foundation and the management of HDARC. I explained my policies that I did not prescribe benzodiazepine and its analogs, and that I did not urinalysis to detect illicit drugs. I discussed the meaning of recovered counselors, therapeutic communities for drug dependence and drug court in Japan.