What is Hogar Crea ?

By Max Spicer

Hogar or Home is a refuge for people who have been using drugs and who want to turn their lives around, also for Alcoholics, and those who are homeless and in need of help.

One of these houses is located in Paquita (Hogar Crea) & relies on donations of food, furniture, housewares, and of course cash to pay for electricity etc.

The house in Paquita is for men and you will see them in their chrome yellow Tee Shirts around town canvasing for donations. They are also available to do yard work, painting, & some types of work. Call the House at 2774-0410, or if you would like to volunteer & work for the steering committee call 2777-3671.

Drug users and down on their luck are not only in Costa Rica but in every country in the world. Helping these people become less or non dependent on drugs, alcohol and other problems is the aim of Hogar Crea. Providing a clean environment in which to live with a structure not found on the street. Some of these people need to bathe, food, and a welcoming environment in which to recover.

The use of recreational drugs has become the scourge of modern society. Many start with marijuana and steadily progress to ecstasy, ketamine, crack, & cocaine. Unlike alcohol and cigarettes these drugs work deep inside the brain. For example a person who has used LSD-a hallucination producing drug-can experience flash backs years after the first use (getsmartaboutdrugs .com)

Physical pain is also experienced when the body needs a “fix” Heroine use is one of the fastest growing in the USA. Rehabilitation requires methadone treatment which is very expensive. The drive to have these drugs again is so great it forces users into crime and prostitution. As many of us know the impact on the family is often devastating, causing breakups, fights and it is often children who suffer most.