Skoun is a new center for drug addiction in Lebanon. Non-profit, non-political and non-sectarian, it is the first walk-in outpatient therapeutic facility for addictions that offers prevention, awareness and psychological treatment to drug users and their families, and society at large. In a country where drug use is prevalent ­ from hard illicit drugs like heroin to less obvious addictive licit drugs like tobacco and alcohol and pharmaceuticals ­ such a center is overdue.
Named Skoun because in Arabic it means internal tranquility and silence, the center was set up by three Lebanese psychologists ­ Sarah Trad, Mayssa Dimechkie, and Nadya Mikdashi, all women and all trained in Europe and America in the field of addiction and how to treat it.
Opened just five months ago, Skoun is unique in Lebanon, for not only does it provide a different and accessible avenue to help addicts and their families but will also work to change perceptions of drugs and addiction in Lebanese society as a whole by influencing governmental policies with regard to education, healthcare, social laws, and prevention.

Skoun is providing a vital service for occasional and regular drug users, primarily youth aged between 15 and 25, drug users’ families and all institutions and individuals affected by substance misuse.

For more information on Skoun, call 01/202714 or visit www.skoun.org

Copyright©Daily Star