Her eyes find him day and night, but he cannot be found anywhere since he has left her forever for the journey to the lands beyond. Oh! Cries the heart, he was so young! Was this his destiny, a brutal act of god or was it his own doing? What matters now for she has lost her only!! What matters now …………..
I am a second year engineering student in Delhi. Articles that I write are a way of unloading my emotional baggage and so, today I write about a college senior who passed away 4 days back at the age of 21 due to drug overdose.
I have read about such cases several times in newspapers, magazines and novels, heard about them in news and endlessly discussed the ill effects in school and college as debates and group discussions. But, when you actually see it happening in front of your eyes, there’s absolutely nothing to say or comprehend. Such an incident leaves you completely numb and devoid of any emotions initially, but after sometime you experience a flood of emotions all at once!
You can feel the endless excruciating pain of the family by looking at the father’s shell shocked face. You can feel the helplessness when you witness the mother’s incessant crying. You feel angry for the individual who made some horrible choices in life. You are forced to think that someone or something controls everything and we are merely just small players.
The person in question lived alone in a P.G near the college and was involved in substance abuse for some time now. Almost every other student knew that such students generally either drop out of college or fail some subjects, but no one in their wildest dreams could predict death. What sends a chill down my spine is that the person in question was all hale and hearty till the dooms day and because of the drug overdose he suffered a heart attack at the age of 21.
This is one of the thousands of such cases recorded every year. Surprisingly, these drugs are as easily available at the agents as vegetables at a local vendor. Thousands of teenagers take up drugs for fun or under peer pressure which sometimes ends with a dead or leaves them an addict for life. This problem seems simple on the outside but when you probe more into it, you find the complexity and the magnitude of the problem-
Based on a Hindustan Times report published on 5 November, 2014:
a- According to the ministry of social justice and empowerment, India has more than an estimated 3.4 million drug abuse victims.
b- This excludes the alcoholics which would increase the count to 11 million.
c- India is vulnerable because its sandwiched between two infamous drug routes and poppy growing areas, namely the Golden Crescent on the northwest and the Golden Triangle on the North East.
d- Despite having 3.4 million drug abuse victims, India has only 401 functional rehabilitation centers.
e- Statistics reveal that India is on a high with 7 drug related suicides every day.
All of us actually know how grim this situation is because each and every one of us has a friend or a close one who is a substance abuse victim. But weren’t all of us taught to know better? Let’s answer some simple questions first.
How does it start?
Generally it starts as an experiment to look cool in ones friend circle. It starts as a luxury and eventually transforms into a hobby and then takes the shape of a necessity.
What do we do when we realize that we have a problem?
We lie and hide from our family and friends fearing a backlash from them resulting in isolating ourselves from the society. This isolation eventually leads to depression and hence, more dependence on substance abuse to cope with the depression. So, it’s like a never ending tunnel.
How does the family react?
In the beginning its hard for them to digest the fact that one of their family member needs help but eventually as the problem escalates, they try counseling the victim at home .
How does the society react?
We talk about Sharma Ji’s drunkard son in hushed voices in almost every party and get together, but never do we actually step up and offer to help.
What are the ill effects of substance abuse?
Substance abuse leads to not just several health problems like heart attack, cancer, hallucinations, seizures etc, but also leads to increase in crimes like theft, murder, rape, road accidents caused due to driving under the influence of a harmful substance.
Substance abuse is an extremely sensitive issue which requires serious discussions and debates on not just a parliamentary level but also on a personal level so as to ascertain what is right and wrong for us when these things are available right at our doorstep .What is required is not just an introspection of what kind of a life we would like to live, but also a strict law from our lawmakers and a full proof implementation of those laws on ground with a support and participation of the society so as to curb the menace of substance abuse.
From what I witnessed, I would like to request every individual reading this article to please include the family of the deceased in their prayers and swear to stay away from alcohol, drugs and tobacco if not for their sake, but for their family who would be sentenced to a lifelong pain and misery even when it’s not their fault.
It’s just another case for police, just another accident for people like me, news for newspapers, but the lives of each and family member will cease to make sense from now on.
