Integration of outpatient alcohol treatment services in substance abuse treatment centers: An introduction to the first national program in Iran

A syndemic of COVID-19 and methanol poisoning in Iran: Time for Iran to consider alcohol use as a public health challenge?

“…The increased accessibility and consumption of mainly methanol-containing homemade and bootleg types of alcohol have turned alcohol poisoning into a public health challenge in Iran (Al-Ansari et al, 2019;Lankarani & Afshari, 2014;Shokoohi, Rahimi-Movaghar, Noroozi, & Karamouzian, 2019). Although Iran has adopted a national strategy to reduce alcoholrelated harms (Al-Ansari et al, 2019;Shariatirad et al, 2016), alcohol-related problems have not been viewed through the lens of public health perspectives (Shokoohi et al, 2019). Instead, strategies have predominantly focused on palliative care and treating alcohol poisoning secondary to the consumption of bootleg methanol at individual levels.…”

“…Instead, strategies have predominantly focused on palliative care and treating alcohol poisoning secondary to the consumption of bootleg methanol at individual levels. For example, Iran developed a national program on alcohol use (2013e2017) and integrated alcohol treatment units into the current illicit drug treatment programs (Shariatirad et al, 2016). However, such interventions have not yet been fully implemented in the primary health care system, and their public health goals have consistently been overlooked.…”

An analysis of policies to control tobacco use and alcohol consumption as risk factors of noncommunicable diseases: A case study of Iran

“…Health services' response : Under the “National Alcohol Control Policy,” the MoHME has advised a four‐tier model of care that included, (1) providing screening and treatment services through the primary health care system, (2) providing opioid and psychostimulants treatment in substance misuse centers, (3) providing residential treatment and (4) providing specialized services in hospitals (Shariatirad et al, 2016).…”

Integration of Outpatient Alcohol Treatment in Drug Use Disorder Treatment Centers in Iran: Study Protocol

“…Currently, there are more than 6,500 such professional centers providing medical and psychological services to more than 800,000 opioid-dependent clients. In order to implement a nationwide outpatient alcohol use disorder treatment program, it was decided to pilot integration of alcohol use disorder treatment services into a selected number of these centers (7). The substance abuse and dependence research center (SADRC) and the University of social welfare and rehabilitation Sciences (USWR) designed a pilot project, which was supported by the Substance abuse prevention and treatment office (SAPTO) and MoHME.…”

“…In response to recent epidemics of poisoning due to use of adulterated alcohol in some cities of Iran (6), a nationwide policy of "prevention, supply reduction, treatment, harm reduction, and rehabilitation of alcohol use, 2013 -2017" was prepared by the ministry of interior and the ministry of health and medical education (MoHME) in 2013 (7). According to this nationwide policy, MoHME is committed to provide standard outpatient and inpatient alcohol use disorder treatment programs for alcoholdependent patients.…”