The UK’s medical approach to drug dependenceThe Japan’s views on drug addictionThe Japan’s medical approach to drug dependence programmes. Since the NHS views drug dependence as a mental condition, they offer therapies to help patients’ thoughts and feelings, which affect their behaviour. One of the well-known therapies is cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which helps to change how patients think and act. This helps to solve primary problems of taking drugs suchas strong depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and patients can take it for free with the NHS. Detoxification, commonly referred to as “detox”, involves the process of clearing drugs from the body in a safe and controlled way. The government will support patients throughout the detox process and encourages them to take part in occupational therapy, psychological therapy and art therapy. In the UK, various treatment options are offered for drug dependence, establishing a system that enables patients to access the support they need. However, due to social stigma toward pharmacological treatment and the fact that the approval and use of medications for drug addiction are not as advanced as in Western countries, support for people with drug dependence tends to be limited. Moreover, even if incarcerated individuals with drug dependence temporarily abstain from drugs while in prison, for the reasons mentioned above and the difficulty of addressing the underlying causes of addiction, achieving a fundamental solution remains extremely challenging. One of the primary approaches to drug dependence Therapy forms another key component of treatment The UK governments and the NHS provide various kinds of treatments for drug dependence, which are personalised for individual addiction level and their environment. At the first appointment for drug treatment, staff will ask about the patient’s drug use, work, family and housing situation. It enables them to choose the best treatment options and refer to suitable local support groups for drug users and their carers. In treatment choices, they typically offer treatment with medicines, counselling with therapists, and detoxification. treatment is the use of prescribed medicines, including methadone and buprenorphine. These substances work by reducing cravings, easing withdrawal symptoms and blocking the effects of certain drugs such as heroin. Some medications can be addictive, so it is also important to take care of how much you take and follow instructions from doctors. The Japanese government views drug addiction differently from the UK government, which is evident in its Fourth Five-Year Drug Abuse Prevention Strategy. In this strategy, the government emphasises early prevention of drug use through education, especially targeting youth, families and community vigilance for early detection and reporting of suspected abuse. It highlights that the Japanese government reflects a zero-tolerance approach, with strict legal penalties and limited public discourse on harm reduction, in contrast to the approach taken by the UK government. This view has an impact on the way addiction treatment is approached. Since the Japanese government is more focused on zero-tolerance and offers limited access to the help centre, it can lead to arrest, prosecution and social ostracism over drug use. In contrast to the UK, this situation stimulates to create a help centre organised by a community-based organisation, including DARC (Drug Addiction Rehabilisation Centre). DARC is a community-based organisation that offers environments where individuals recovering from addiction support each other through shared routines and mutual accountability. They aim not only to support rehabilitation, both mentally and physically, but also to spread successful recovery stories, reframing addiction as a treatable condition rather than a moral failure. 14
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