addiction is severely stigmatized, and is grouped with prostitution and gambling as a negative behavior.

Drug addiction is not new to China. At one time it was estimated that 27% of the male population was addicted to opium. However, this figure dropped significantly from its peak in 1906 to the establishment of the People’s Republic in 1949. Changes in Chinese society in recent years have meant new freedoms and new choices. As a result, drug addiction is again on the rise and, although seemingly insignificant when compared to the epidemic of the early 1900s, reports indicate there were 1.16 million Chinese addicted to heroin in 2005. Currently the number of beds available for those dependent on alcohol or drugs is quite small, especially when considering the vast number of those who could benefit from treatment. In Beijing alone, a city of more than 10 million, only a few hospitals with a handful of beds currently treat patients addicted to alcohol or drugs. While effective treatment for addiction is being recognized in China, the nation is merely scratching the surface when it comes to treatment availability.
In China today, addiction is severely stigmatized, and is grouped with prostitution and gambling as a negative behavior. Chinese society today generally views drug dependence as a moral weakness and sees the addicted individual as having a character flaw. While this view is prevalent in U.S. society as well, there is little distinction in China between the views of the public and those of medical professionals, who often use punitive approaches to treatment. This goes along with a pervasive attitude in China that individuals must be held responsible for their own actions and must learn from their own mistaken behavior.

The stigma associated with addiction has created a major challenge in addressing treatment needs in China. In a recent survey, only about half of the medical professionals who responded viewed addiction as a treatable brain disease. With an apparent lack of understanding of addiction by the medical community, much of the treatment in China is limited to acute care for withdrawal. Without ongoing treatment opportunities, drug- or alcohol-dependent individuals are not given the opportunity to strengthen their recovery from long-term substance use.Fortunately, 12-Step programs may be playing a major role in changing views, among both addicts and treatment professionals, about the prospects of successful recovery. The success of those in recovery through AA has apparently been evident to treatment professionals who are beginning to see that long-term sobriety is possible but cannot always be accomplished by merely offering acute care to the dependent.

Would-be Counselors
With a growing number of people in recovery who are enthusiastic about providing care to those in need, China now has an increasing number of potentially effective counselors. Along with Mr. H., these are individuals with genuine enthusiasm and an interest in learning from faculty who can assist them in expanding their understanding of treatment. During our time together, we had great discussions, role-played group sessions with individuals volunteering to be the leaders, and talked about some of the challenges addicts face in developing successful recovery programs. We also laughed, cried, joked and, despite the language barrier, experienced a bond that brought us together as fellow warriors, struggling to make treatment effective for the addict. I learned a thing or two from the true pioneers of drug and alcohol treatment in China. I learned that challenges faced by those in recovery in societies outside the U.S. are enormous in comparison to those in our country. I learned that one’s level of passion can help overcome seemingly insurmountable barriers. And I learned that those who have the commitment to help others in any society truly speak the same language.