Fighting drug abuse: Building a new life!

Adolescence is a scary and fascinating period of life to be in. You are young and free, with not much responsibilities to shoulder and your entire life is in front of you. In a way, you are the master of your own destiny, willing to take risks and flirt with danger.

Karma was one such boy from Panipath. As a young and experimental child, he got exposed to cannabis pretty early in his school days and continued its regular use even after his marriage at the age of twenty. Moving out in search of work and making new set of friends gave him the opportunity to learn more about life.  Unfortunately, it also exposed him to newer substances to abuse. He started using injections and enjoying the euphoria that the recreational drugs gave him.

Slowly however, he developed a dependence on these substances and started losing touch of reality. Regular doping had an adverse effect on his overall health, decreasing his efficiency and ultimately, he lost his job due to irregular attendance.

One day he met one of the outreach officers of Turning Point Foundation (TPF) who was on rounds around injecting spots. Karma spoke to him and saw this as an opportunity to start afresh. He started visiting the TPF drop-in centre regularly and doing odd jobs. Recognising his interest in work, he was appointed as a peer educator.

He was one of the first few beneficiaries of the Oral Substitution Centre when it was started in the district hospital.  After one year of Oral Substitution Treatment he decided to leave drugs completely. It was during this time that he was appointed as a peer educator. Taking up responsibility to ensure that others do not fall into the vicious cycle, meant that he would have to discipline himself first, practice what he preached and continuously struggle in the period of recovery and relapse. As he was finding strength within himself by assisting others to fight with their drug problem, a generous donor from Germany extended financial support under the Peer Progression Program to sponsor vocational training for Karma’s wife, in sewing and tailoring. Later Karma got himself admitted in the TPF de-addiction centre while his wife opened a tailoring centre in their village.

Thanks to their own will to build a better life for themselves and the unfaltering support of volunteers as well as donors associated with Turning Point Foundation, Karma is leading a healthy and productive life. He is not dependent on drugs anymore and is the master of his own destiny, in the truest sense.

There are numerous people like Karma who fight with their own addictions, one day at a time. They are all in need of a helping hand, a savior to assist them in this journey. Offer someone a ray of hope today. Extend your support to Turning Point Foundation 

Aadeep