Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, February 24:

With a drug addict for a husband, overburdened with responsibilities, school teacher Sabitri Tamrakar, felt she could not take it anymore.

So, she gave in and became a drug abuser too. Her binge lasted 13 years that left her bankrupt. Anita Pradhan’s story is similar. Her husband’s addiction to brown sugar, her failed attempts to wean him from it, no support for her efforts from her in-laws made her take up the habit too. Though her husband discouraged her in the beginning, they got on so well after she started using it that he started supplying the drugs to her himself. In the process, they lost their job and business.

Now these women are at a drug rehabilitation centre — Richmond Fellowship. Both have kicked the habit and are eager to start life anew. They are under detoxification, acupuncture and mediation to be physically fit and mentally strong when they finally enter the real world again.

Both agree that the worst part of being a drug abuser is not the physical losses, but losing respect in society. They are aware they have a long way to go, but are determined to have a normal life once again.

Says Ekata Mahat, a consultant at Oxygen Research Development Forum, the only way to get over drug addiction is through determination and a positive attitude. Ekata, who was an addict for eight years and has been clean for over two years now, defines addiction as “a psychological disease” and that “we have make an constant effort to stay away from drugs”. On a positive note, Ekata said she gained something from her addiction. “Everyday was an adventure and a struggle for drugs. Today that experience has made me bold and confident to go on in life,” she said.

But we all know the extensive harm drug abuse can do. According to director of Maternity Hospital, Dr Kasturi Malla, “Abuse of drugs affects the mental health as well as the physical. Hormonal regulation depends on the mental health, and once hormonal regulations are disturbed, the effect on physiology is inevitable.” Richmond Fellowship coordinator, Pooja Niraula, pointed out that there is a problem regarding reintegration. In their life after drug abuse, former drug abusers, especially women, face lots of hardship. She said that skill development projects, social behavioural approach, job placement and family support go a long way in helping their reintegration into society.