By Parijat Dutta (ICA Tripura)

Depression, financial stress, marital turmoil, over-indulgence, or mental decline—what is the culprit? A part of the young generation is becoming lost in an imaginary world through drug addiction. While identifying the reasons for this is important, it is equally vital to find the motivation to start life afresh after overcoming addiction. In this case, the Modern Psychiatric Hospital at Narsingar serves as a de-addiction clinic. At the OST (Opioid Substitution Therapy) clinic of the hospital, 262 people addicted to various drugs, including heroin and brown sugar, regularly take medication with the pledge to break free from addiction. After receiving treatment there, a young man, who was studying B. Pharmacy and is now working in a private company, has returned to a healthy and normal life.

The young man shared, “For those who got into drugs by mistake, coming to this OST clinic and taking medicine is like coming to a temple. Because drug addicts have been able to get treatment here and build a new life.” This young man is the only child of his parents. His father worked in government service, and he was a brilliant student.

When he was in Class 11, his father died suddenly. Despite this, he passed high school with first-division marks. Soon after, his life took a turn. An educated girl came into his life, and he impulsively got married at the age of twenty. He then started pursuing a pharmacy course. Within two years, he became a father. Subsequently, he was plagued by one family problem after another, and he was known as a carpenter with no stable income. One evening, while venting his frustrations to friends in the heart of the city, his life spiraled further. He couldn’t sleep at night, and his mind was overwhelmed with worry.

He wasn’t in a good state of mind. A friend from his group suggested he try drugs, specifically koutor (heroin). While he had abstained from drinking and smoking at parties, he saw that many in his group were addicted. They bought heroin and drugged him. Under the influence, he felt like he had entered another world, and soon, addiction became a regular part of his life. When a day passed without the drug, he would experience tremors and shakes, sinking further under the weight of addiction.

Every day, he would set fire to a foil pack and inhale the smoke. Initially, he got high once or twice a day, but soon it became a habit of multiple “shots” (smoking) daily. He had to cover his addiction costs, as well as those of his friends. Where would this money come from? Sometimes he would spend twenty thousand rupees in just two or three days. Over five years, until 2021, he squandered twenty lakh rupees on his addiction.

To finance his addiction, he stole household items, including his mother’s gold jewelry. He would steal and sell anything he found at home—from TV sets to cash, even selling his father’s hard-earned land one day.

Seeing his deteriorating condition, his mother gradually became fed up. Meanwhile, his body began to rebel. His entire body burned, and his head felt as if it were on fire. He had shortness of breath and severe abdominal pain without the drug. Leg cramps plagued him at night. His mother could no longer bear the unbearable pain her son was enduring.

The young man realized he needed to turn his life around. In 2021, his mother took him to Dr. Udayan Majumder at the Modern Psychiatric Hospital. A drug treatment center had been operating there since 2018, under the leadership of Dr. Udayan Majumder, the nodal officer. He provided counseling and told him to visit the center daily, except Sundays, for treatment.

He agreed. He said, “Looking at my son, I felt like I had to turn around.”

Every morning, he would go to the Nesha Mukti Kendra, where Sunny Sengupta, the nursing staff at the OST clinic in the outpatient department, would give him medicine as per the doctor’s instructions. He took the medication regularly, even getting Sunday’s dose on Saturday.

His struggle to stand on his feet began. Following a strict routine, he visited the de-addiction center daily, and the nursing staff provided him with medication. His life began to change. He got a job at a reputed private company in 2022. Still, he continued his daily medication. Gradually, after a year and a half of continuous treatment, he fully recovered. This once-doomsday addiction could no longer attract him. New hope blossomed in his shattered life. He could hardly believe how much his child had grown. Clutching the schoolboy to his chest, he found his meditation and solace in his son. Life’s meaning became clear to him.

In his words, “If one can feel for themselves that they have made a mistake, can keep their mind still, then they can commit themselves and return to a healthy, normal life.”

He knows this deadly addiction is driving the young generation to ruin. A certain class of people is ruining lives by selling drugs.

The young man shared that the staff at the de-addiction center are trying their best through counseling. However, while the environment inside the hospital is well-maintained, society at large should also be kept clean.

The Drug Treatment Center, which opened in 2018 at the Modern Psychiatric Hospital, was converted into an Addiction Treatment Facility (ATF). Now its nodal officer, Dr. Dipayan Sarkar, provides opioid substitution therapy from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. There are arrangements here for addicted youth to break free from addiction.

This drug-free youth wants to inspire others. He is now a fellow traveler of light. He has found the path from darkness to light. He hopes that those struggling with addiction will walk the same road and receive opioid substitution therapy to free themselves from addiction’s clutches.