Drugs, alcohol take toll on 3 generations of Barnala family

Parvesh Sharma
Barnala, March 27

A number of families of drug addicts here have been complaining about lack of proper treatment of substance abuse victims. One such case is of 26-year-old Joga Singh (name changed) of Dangarh village. He’s from the third generation in his family, which has been addicted to drugs and facing withdrawal symptoms when they try to stop taking drugs.

Joga’s 55-year-old father said: “Earlier, my 80-year-old father was a hard drinker and spent all his earnings on drugs. Later, I started taking poppy husk and now my son faces withdrawal symptoms when he tries to quit medical drugs. Though my son and I have taken medicines for de-addiction, the day we do not take the tablet, we experience body pain. We have got addicted to de-addiction pills now.”

Will send team for examination

I will send a team for the examination of the father-son duo. We can admit them to our de-addiction centre if they are unable to shun drugs. They must follow the instructions of doctors. —Dr Jasvir Singh Aulakh, Barnala civil surgeon

Face withdrawal symptoms

Earlier, my 80-year-old father was a hard drinker and spent all his earnings on drugs. Later, I started taking poppy husk and now my son faces withdrawal symptoms when he tries to quit medical drugs. — 26-year-old youth’s father

The landless family stays in a two-room house, which does not has a kitchen. Joga’s father, who works as a labourer, is the sole breadwinner of the family. “I have done BEd and want to work. I fell into the trap of medical drugs in 2016 after someone offered me a habit-forming tablet in the name of “tension killer”.

Since then, I have tried various medicines to shun drugs, but failed to do so due to lack of de-addiction facilities,” said Joga. His mother and sister, too, are unwell and the family needs aid for their treatment.

“I started free treatment of Joga three days ago and he is feeling better now. I’ve seen other such cases too, where the addicts have been facing problem in shunning the de-addiction tablet offered by government hospitals. The state government must look into the issue and get the needful done immediately,” said Dr Parwinder Singh, a private practitioner.

Dhanaula Senior Medical Officer Dr Satwant Aujla said the patients must follow the instructions issued to them by doctors. “Many addicts have successfully shun drugs easily and if anyone faces some problem, he could meet me anytime,” he said.

Barnala Civil Surgeon Dr Jasvir Singh Aulakh said he would send a team for the medical examination of the father-son duo. “We can admit them to our de-addiction centre if they are unable to shun drugs. They must follow the instructions of doctors,” he said.