By Aditi Kumar
It was my first visit to a drug de-addiction and rehabilitation centre and what an eye opener it was. A quick realization dawned on me that these forgotten members of the society who are pushed to the fringe due to drug addiction require constant love, empathy, support and care. It was an emotional moment when I encountered an 18 -year old young man at Kripa Foundation (a de-addiction and rehabilitation centre), who first got into substance abuse out of curiosity and peer pressure but was now ready and determined to break out of the habit and get back to the outside world to pursue his dream of completing his Masters in Computer Applications. He said that he could only achieve that aspiration with support from the Centre and his family.
Other residents at Kripa have similar dreams and all of them need the unstinted support of their families and society. In a world where addiction to alcohol and drugs are on the rise, the importance of organisations like the Kripa Foundation – one of the largest non– governmental organisations in India, affiliated with the Union Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment and others like it, cannot be over-emphasized. They have and are rendering yeoman’s service in this field. Kripa has also been working with people afflicted with chemical dependency and HIV Infection. It aims to reach out to children and adolescents in the community for early childhood intervention and risk mitigation.
Fueled by a desire to reach out to those who have been ignored by society and subjected to ridicule and stigma, I visited a rehabilitation centre for juveniles in Shillong. The place had 15 inmates who were provided regular counselling sessions. There are classrooms, a recreational centre, library and a community dining hall, similar to a hostel but a free space where they are valued and not stigmatized. Children stay at the centre for about three months and during this period, they go through a process of treatment (de-addiction) and counselling. They have to try and cope with withdrawal syndromes which is one of the most trying experiences. However, it was heartening to learn that the Centre has a very high success rate; almost touching hundred percent in rehabilitating the residents in society and helping them to dream big and work hard to achieve those dreams.
There are several reasons why children get addicted to substances but one thing was clear. None of them chose to get into the habit. They were pushed into it through circumstances but mostly due to peer pressure and conflicts within the family. The journey of these children and adolescents is arduous but their resolve to get out of the habit is admirable. After the children have undergone a process of detoxification in hospitals, they are sent to the Rehabilitation Centre. In the first month, the Centre focuses on physical health, thereafter on mental and spiritual health. The Centre has child psychologists and psychiatrists who provide individual and group therapy sessions. Every child needs undivided attention and the space and time to open up and unburden his/her feelings. Expert psychologists and therapists play pivotal roles for a child in his/her fight against drugs because the mind is afflicted by emotional tumult and mood swings. Children are counseled to love themselves and to develop a healthy self-esteem and to let go of negative feelings.
Some who have contracted HIV or Hepatitis feel it is the end of the world and become depressed. The counselors give them hope that they can overcome the obstacles if they have enough faith and go through a proper treatment regimen. In the course of their rehabilitation they learn from one another and from the counselors that life is worth living and that they need to battle their addiction so they can get back to being productive members of their families and society.
What substance abusers detest most is the stigmatization from society. In this case, members of society too need counseling to better understand the plight of those who have become prisoners of substance abuse because often it is the family circumstances that push young people into drugs or alcohol. Since substance abuse affects the mental health of young addicts some families don’t want to take them back and want to leave them in rehabilitation centres.
Often it is found that those addicted to substances hesitate to seek help because they fear the stigma and family members too don’t know how to seek help for them. Hence more awareness is needed to better empathise with those afflicted by drug addiction.
At the time of discharge from the Centre, children are afraid of the outside world and dread the prospect of having to face their peers in schools and colleges. Hence it is incumbent that awareness about having empathy with recovering addicts so that they feel loved and accepted and that can help them get back to a normal life.
The children at the Juvenile Care Centre were bright and ready learners and were provided skills training. In my interaction with a boy who had a keen interest in computers and knew how to toggle issues, I found that he was interested in learning new languages in computer science. This left me wondering as to what would happen to the dreams of this young boy if he did not get the support of Kripa Foundation and the Government of Meghalaya. The dream would have been shattered.
This is where societal awareness about the reasons for drug addiction is imperative. Most often society is judgmental and tends to condemn drug addicts. This is what pushes them to the edge. Just because a child has erred does not mean he/she should be neglected or ignored. Instead we should all join hands in supporting these children who have fallen through the cracks and make them feel accepted. With proper counselling and education they can overcome their predicament and also excel in their studies. These drug de-addiction centres have been of great help and those managing them are patient, consistent and motivated by a desire to do good for the society. They too deserve our respect and support. Greater awareness and NGOs with the expertise in dealing with substance abuse are needed in Meghalaya to help battle and to completely eliminate this societal malaise. A victim of drug addiction must be accepted and rehabilitated by the society to which he/she belongs.