Help at hand for drug addicts

CHANDIGARH, MAY 30: Nar Anon, the region's first support group for families of drug addicts has started working in the city. It is a part...

CHANDIGARH, MAY 30: Nar Anon, the region’s first support group for families of drug addicts has started working in the city. It is a part of the Narcotic Anonymous — an international self-help organisation helping addicts kick the habit since 1947.

Anybody, who is even in remote contact with an addict knows the pain, trauma and shame that affects not only the user, but also the family. For this reason, addiction, like alcoholism, can be called a "family disease," as though the family members do not use drugs, they are racked by their effects all the same.

When a person starts using the drug initially, the highs seem too good to be true and one can get hooked even after the first time. Slowly, the user turns into an addict, whose only concern in life is how to get the next dose of the drug. He becomes isolated from his family and friends and interacts with them only to get money out of them. Resulting in a guilt-ridden personality that does not know how to react to the daily, "normal" tasks of life. As one is always in a kind of "khumari", it becomes difficult to step out of the daze and do anything properly without a dose. Soon, even with the drug intake, the addict starts facing problems as his capacity increases steadily. This is when many start stealing from home to get their dose. A reformed addict, coming from an affluent family, shares how from a quarter of a cough syrup bottle daily, his capacity rose to five bottles per day, within five years. Since the chemists also start manipulating such people, even the rich ones cannot cope up with the financialpressure and start stealing. Blackouts are common with addicts. To confirm whether someone is using drugs, a few tips are: get the real cause of the blackouts investigated from a doctor, look for burn marks on the fingers, check for open cigarettes and see if the person is spending too much time in the bathroom, among other things.

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Narcotics Anonymous works on the principle that no addict can be cured till the time he does not want to make the first move towards leaving drugs. No amount of cajoling, threatening, pleading, giving in to his whims or getting him married will have any effect. NA has a spiritual programme that has helped countless addicts and their families kick drugs and lead a serene life. There are no fees to join the organisation. People of all castes, religions and financial backgrounds are welcome to join. Since guilt and shame are associated with drug addiction, the identity of the person is kept hidden and no personal questions are ever asked.

Nar Anon holds its meetings every Thursday in the Catholic Church, Sector 19, at 6 pm.