Background and Aim : For centuries opium has been the main drug of use in Iran. In Iranian sub- culture of opium use, there are different methods for self-management of the problem ranging from free fall - a Persian term for Cold Turkey- to gradual tapering of daily opium dose . Congress 6o a non-governmental organization of people recovering from addiction founded in 1999, adopted the recent method and combined it with an intensive rehabilitation and
recovery program for the clients and their families, who in
Congress 60 meetings called traveler and fellow-travelers, respectively. According to congress 60 method of gradual stepped tapering, clients with opioids dependence were first stabilized on opium tincture (OT) (10% solution of opium in alcohol and water) and then their dose decreased 20% every 21 days. Travelers need to refer to certified clinics to collect their OT doses, while they and their fellow-travelers also needs to participate in free of charge peer support meetings, named legions in
Congress 60 branches. Each legion facilitated by a peer counselor. Peer counselors are eligible to run a legion if they complete gradual dose reduction regimen successfully, quit smoking, actively participate in sport activities and pass an exam designed by Congress 60. In order increase availability of treatment, since 2014
Congress 60 started to borrow its peer counselors to clinics to hold meeting inside clinics. In this presentation, we are going to present the experience of providing professional medical and psychosocial treatment and free of charge peer support
Congress 60 meetings, co-located in Iranian National Center for Addiction Studies (INCAS) academic clinic from January to June 2019. Challenges of this experience were routed in conflict and competition between professional staff and peer counselors. Holding several meetings to define agreed upon policies and procedures were helpful to manage these challenges. After about 6 month of establishment of
OT-assisted treatment with
Congress 60 model, staff believed that providing on-site peer support meetings has been valuable through adding a social dimension to clients’ recovery