Awakening against addiction

A group of NGOs and civil society jointly organised ‘Wake Up Pune’,a talk show to mark the International Day Against Drug and Illicit Trafficking at Nowrosjee Wadia College on Friday. “Drug users are the most neglected of those groups considered highly vulnerable to HIV/AIDS,” said Mukta Puntambkar,director,Muktangan de-addiction centre,speaking on the occasion. Dr Rohini P Virathan (Seventh day Adventist Hospital) called addiction ‘a disease of feelings in which we depend on our negative feelings.’ Almost all the speakers stressed on the fact that addiction to drugs lead to HIV infection. Dr Gangakherkar said anybody who uses drugs loses rationality and thus are vulnerable to unsafe sexual relationships and use of syringes.