Kathmandu, November 10:

Amrita Gurung (28) has been a victim of drug abuse for long. Her father was a drug user, who deserted his family to marry a French lady. Her mother converted to Christianity and joined the church leaving her in the care of her grandparents.

But she couldn’t get good treatment from her grandmother. As a result, she was enrolled in a boarding school. She married to her family friend, who used to console her.

But her husband also turned out to be a drug abuser and forced her to take drugs. However, this was not the end to her woes. Her husband left for his work in Thailand where he married a native girl. Amrita started taking heavy doses of drugs to console herself.

Sixteen-year-old Manish Gurung started taking drugs because of his friends. “It soon became a habit and I was forced to resort to measures such as stealing and looting to sustain my addiction,” Manish said.

Manish and Amrita have been enrolled at NARCONON Nepal, a drug prevention and rehabilitation centre. At a programme organised here today, Manish committed never to take drugs. He was discharged from the centre today. At the same programme, Amrita handed over a letter to the Home Minister.