Nawanshahr, September 4
The journey of a 26-year-old youth of Garhi Ajit Singh village of the district did not go the way he wanted. But now when he has realised his mistakes, he has become a source of inspiration for others like him.

A drug addict a few months back, Varinder (name changed) took help of the Drug De-addiction and Rehabilitation Centre, run by the District Red Cross, to leave his wrong habit.

His family, which runs a dhaba besides doing farming on a 6-acre land, was in acute distress. With a hope in their fragile minds and prayer on their lips, they brought their son to this centre in December last year. The wish of the family and strong commitment of this young man brought desired results in January and after undergoing a month’s treatment, the young man started helping his family in hard and laborious agriculture work.

The story of the 24-year-old Sandeep (name changed) of Gunachaur, a village in Balachaur, is not different. This young man used to take drug injections after which his family brought him to the rehabilitation centre.

It was really a miracle for the family that after spending a month at the centre, this young man said goodbye to drugs and is now earning livelihood for his family by working as a mason.

Regretting that the drugs had driven him away from his family and society, this young man had in a function organised about two months ago on International Anti-Drug Day admitted that due to the concerted efforts of the centre he has been able to rejoin the mainstream.

These two examples were among a large number of success stories scripted by this centre. More than 1,500 patients have bid goodbye to drugs and are playing a proactive role in managing the affairs of their families as well as contributing towards constructing a healthy and drug-free society by becoming a source of inspiration for those who aspire to leave drugs.

Run by the District Red Cross Society under the stewardship of Deputy Commissioner Tanu M Kashyap, this centre was shifted from Guru Nanak Mission Hospital, Dhahan Kaleran, to Dharamshala, Bhucheran, in 2007.

Kashmiri Lal, project director, said a large number of the NRI youths come to this centre for treatment. He added that this centre was a boon for families of youths who were addicted to drugs.

The centre has 15 beds, most of which remain booked all the time. A patient is kept at the centre for a month during which the cost of medicines is borne by the centre. The family of the inmate had to pay Rs 1,600 per month only for the food.

A retired medical officer, Dr Chaman Lal, and a physiatrist of local Civil Hospital, Dr Rajinder Mago, are providing free services to the centre, giving the much-needed professional support to the programme. The medicines are received from the Red Cross Society.

Besides counselling and medication, inmates are made to do activities like yoga and reading. These help inmates in attaining a disciplined life and self-control.

The real test for the centre is, in fact, in conducting follow-up of each indoor patient for two years after the treatment to ensure that the individual has not gone back to drugs.