The Associated Press: Saudi company studies US addiction aid for Muslims

00:41 Riyadh-based Saudi Care for Rehabilitation and Health Care 0 Comments

The Associated Press: Saudi company studies US addiction aid for Muslims: "Mohammed Al-Turaiki left his traditional Saudi Arabian headdress behind in favor of a blazer and sweater as he made the rounds at one of the United States' oldest addiction treatment centers.
He had traveled 7,000 miles to Michigan in hope of finding answers to a problem so taboo in the conservative Muslim kingdom that no official statistics exist: alcohol and drug addiction.
Alcohol is illegal in Saudi Arabia, where a strict interpretation of Islam forbids everything from liquor to allowing women to drive. For those who suffer from alcohol and drug abuse, treatment is scarce and the stigma so great that most never talk about their addiction, even to close family members.
Al-Turaiki, the chief executive of the Riyadh-based Saudi Care for Rehabilitation and Health Care, is trying to change the negative image of addiction by creating a network of treatment facilities in the oil-rich kingdom. He came to Brighton Hospital earlier this year to check out the facility and its treatment programs that have long have included the Detroit region's large Arab and Muslim population.
'When I made the rounds in the hospital, patients who saw me tossed out a few words in Arabic to see if I would respond,' Al-Turaiki said. 'I felt at home.'"