National 6 (Spotlight Weekly)

Social Partnership Key To Curbing Drug Abuse

"I have a desire to be on top of the peak. I have a desire to be in the world of oblivion and the only way I could fulfill these desires was through drugs." These are a few ways in which some Nepalese youth have accepted drugs. Although the use of some addictive drugs such as hashish and marijuana have a long history in Nepal, the problem of addiction is a comparatively recent phenomenon.

The World Health Organization defines drug abuse as, "The use of chemical entity or a mixture of entities, other than for the maintenance of normal health, the addiction of which alters the biological functions and probably the structure".

The hippies in the late 60's and early 70's brought in other drugs such as opium, heroin and the infamous Lysergic Acid Diethyl Amide (LSD). We conducted a research project on drug addiction and rehabilitation in partial fulfillment of our course on data management. The main objective of our study was to determine the reasons leading to drug addiction and the types of social rehabilitation provided to those affected.

According to our findings, the increase in the abuse of drugs can be attributed to various such factors as tension and family problems, peer pressure, curiosity, inferiority complex and escapist attitude. Nepalese youth influenced by unconfirmed western culture, frustrated by the challenges of modern life and unable to cope with its demands, developed complex attitudes and confronted it with escapist routes not imagined before.

A recent report by Youth Power Nepal showed that there are between 50,000 and 60,000 drug users in the country out of which half have been affected by HIV/AIDS. However, our survey reveals that the ratio of women addicts to men today has almost doubled and has been increasing. The main reason for this is unconfirmed western culture and family problems. It is mainly found to have affected people of the 15-30 years age group.

This alarming increase in the rate of addiction calls for recognition of the importance of social rehabilitation. This is the most challenging activity, which requires a pragmatic program of action to bring drug addicts back to social life. A number of NGOs and INGOs like Asara, Freedom Center, Richmond Fellowship Center and Youth Vision play an important role in providing social rehabilitation, short-term shelter, and training and counseling facilities to drug addicts. From the study, it was observed that Asara is the only voluntary organization operating in Nepal while Richmond Fellowship is the only center targeting social rehabilitation without providing any medication. It also stands out as the only center working for the rehabilitation of women addicts.

The government's "Drug Abuse and Drug Reduction Project", which looks after the functioning of all NGOs and INGOs and provides financial assistance, needs to be strengthened. Though all these organizations and projects have contributed much in some way or the other, they, face many complications like shortage of funds, insufficient number of counsellors and lack of rehabilitation centers for women.

Rehabilitation of addicts, which is a difficult and a long-term struggle, requires sustained support from the entire country. Challenges persist despite many accomplishments. It is time for us to join hands and try to fight off the bane of drug addiction from the community before it reaches our homes.

(This article was jointly prepared by Amrita Acharya, Ima Wagley, Niluja Shrestha, Pravin Raman Parajuli, Ruchi Bhandari and Shreepa Shrestha, students of Kathmandu University's School of Management.)