Indian De-Addiction Centres Delve into Social Media
The popularity of Social Media has never been higher and shows no sign of fading. According to an article written at the beginnning of this year, 60% of Indian internet users use social media. And that number is only growing, as recent numbers on Facebook users show. At the end of 2010, Indian Facebook users numbered around 17 million. Just last month an article on Omillion put the current number at almost 23 million. That’s a 35% growth in just a few months!
So What?
You may say, “What does that have to do with de-addiction?” Some de-addiction centres have seen the value that comes from involving themselves in social media.
What are the benefits?
Quality Advertisement
It is easy to set up a Facebook fan page for your de-addiction centre, where
people can see information about your program, look at pictures of your
facilities and activities, and interact if they have questions. You can easily
set up a Youtube channel and upload videos interviewing former visitors or show
potential guests what a typical day at your centre is like.
Connections
Your social media can be a great encouragement to current or recovering addicts. Those who have been through your program before can subscribe to your twitter feed and receive uplifting quotes or practical advice on a regular basis. You can open discussions on your Facebook page where addicts can come and receive advice and be encouraged to seek treatment. Recovering addicts can give advice and encouragement to those who are at the beginning of the process. There are a multitude of possibilities.
It’s Free!
All of the ideas mentioned above do not cost anything, can’t beat that.
Who’s Doing It?
There are not a lot of De-Addiction Centres doing this yet, but I would like to showcase some that are, which will hopefully give you some ideas as to how you could do it yourself. I chose one centre for each Social Media platform.
Hope Trust in Hyderabad has an active Facebook page. It includes photos that gives the user a good idea of the heart behind Hope Trust.There are frequent
wall posts with quotes that encourage and give advice. Hope Trust also frequently posts “notes” that function as blog posts on addiction related topics. It is great to see a Centre putting the effort into a page like this! Hopefully they will continue to add fans and foster more discussion.
Dr. Atul Aswani, a counselor and psychiatrist in Mumbai, updates his twitter page with advice, quotes, and valuable videos.
YouTube
Sankalp Rehabilitation Trust‘s Youtube channel has 14 videos about their work. one of their videos has over 12,00 views! Their videos do a great job of showing what they do and the conditions around them. There are recovery stories and a video concerning volunteering at Sankalp.
I hope after reading this article you’ve seen the benefits and the usefulness of social media. Hopefully you can use it for your centre in the near future!