During the Soviet period, drug addicts were systematically stigmatized and had to undergo measures of isolation and re-education. They were placed on a special registry and required to make frequent follow-up visits to narcologists. The patient's information was also given to law enforcement agencies.

During the first nine months of 2008, 631 new injecting drug users were registered by narcological institutions in Belarus. These patients had no diagnoses of ICD-10 criteria but had several episodes of injecting drugs. Approximately 50.0 % of all new patients were injecting drug users. They were required to make at least thirty visits to the narcologist. Looking more visit https://stop-zavisimost.ru/.

In addition, patients were systematically denied driver's licences. This was due to their registration at drug treatment clinics. Although the Ministry of Health has issued an order N. 704 in 1988 to address alcoholism and toxicomania, the narcological sector has become insensitive to HIV. The situation is not helped by narcologists' lack of up-to-date education and travel opportunities.

In Russia, drug addicts are placed on a special registry if they seek treatment at state narcological clinics. They are required to undergo monthly medical examinations. In order to be removed from the NR, the patient must have been abstinent for at least five years. The procedure can be reset if the patient relapses. Depending on the patient's status, the person may be placed in a special ward or transferred to another medical institution.

The Russian Ministry of Health reported 10 891 drug users on the NR by 1 October 2008. One of the main problems is the fact that the system does not have a monitoring system for permanent medical control of drug users. This is due to the fact that the state narcological clinics are becoming increasingly commercialized and insufficient funding has been allocated for their work.

One of the main objectives of the Russian narcological sector is to provide safe cleansing of the body and social functioning. Modern techniques enable the safe removal of toxins from the body. The procedure includes detoxification or blood purification. In addition, opiate dependence treatments help reduce the number of injections. These interventions reduce the exposure to blood-borne infections and illicit opiates. They also improve health management.

A survey in Russia has shown that a significant proportion of narcologists support the idea of compulsory drug addiction treatment. More than half of them consider the policy of compulsory treatment as a "socially appropriate" approach. The survey also showed that narcologists' attitude towards compulsory treatment varies greatly. While 62.6% of Russian narcology professionals consider it to be a "socially appropriate" approach, 28.3% of foreign narcology professionals do not.

In addition, the narcological sector has been affected by the HIV epidemic in Russia. HIV morbidity and mortality rates are extremely high. According to the National Research Institute on Substance Abuse (NRISA), at least one in ten drug users in Russia is treated. This is a very small proportion of the population, however.

The Russian government has taken narcology practices that are not supported by science and applied them to HIV prevention. In addition, narcological clinics have become increasingly commercialized and have started to encourage drug users to pay for their services. This encourages them to get treatment from state clinics instead of from individual narcologists.