It Is Great Saying No To Drugs And Alcohol

Maisnam Bomcha *

Excise Dept disposing off seized (2330 litres) Country Made Liquor

"People living as slaves to alcohol and drugs need to be told that the present masters of their lives are not the only things which entertains, which give that much needed 'high'. Life without those chemicals is not gloomy at all. It's enjoyable and we even have the luxury of choosing from a myriad ways of entertainment; of being happy"

Another five days of revelry have come to an end. Yaoshang 2013 is over, officially. How long will be the spill-over: on that none is the wiser? Despite the substantial financial, health and other related crop of losses accrued on account of the festival every year; Yaoshang is undoubtedly the biggest of the festivals in Manipuris celebrated and enjoyed by all, gender and age notwithstanding. Outside of Manipur, though it is generally celebrated on a single day, Holi is celebrated with even bigger gusto. Ways of celebrating it are galore. The Lath Mar (associated with gaiety strangely gotten out of beating the males with sticks by the females) Holi and the use of petals instead of colours are interesting. Incidentally, starting from this year the widows of Brindavan were 'allowed to' take part in the celebrations, thanks to an initiative taken up by the head of the Sulab Foundation.

Two things common during Holi, which I find distinct, are liberal use of Bhang and the special preserve of revelry between the Bhabi and Devar (sister-in-law and the younger brother). As much as socially reserved and closeted the Northern and Western Indians are; come Holi and an openness perhaps unique in itself can be seen all over. The guilt sounding cry of "Bura Mat Mano HoliHai" is seemingly used as a ready cover for every excess and accepted as a rule. The use of Bhang per se is nothing to be surprised at.

What are surprising are the widespread use and the place, the variants of the weed find almost as a compulsory ingredient to a fulsome entertainment. Intoxicants or not; India is on a high on Holi. Irrespective of the duration of the festivities, life will be back to business and will go on.

Most notable among those, whose life can't be counted as back to normal when the great leveller of such festivals is gone: is that of the addicts. Alcoholics and others hooked to various drugs. People who started it to get a high and end up becoming slaves of that high; unfortunate people who even no longer get a high but indulge just to see off a day. They are people who, in addition to the struggle of trying to cope, are also ostracised by friends, family and the society. And very confused, utterly helpless; at least on the surface. Addicts of any mind altering substances had chosen intoxicants to get a high but subsequently it's the life of an addict which chooses an addict and dictates him. He is just helpless at his own.

Years back there used to be a TV serial by the name of 'Living on the Edge'. It was on the perils of the degradation of the nature, environment. Thousands of youths in Manipur are living on the edge. The national age bracket of India is enviably young. If that can be taken as a standard index, then, coupled with the rampant addiction to intoxicants, Manipur is in dire straits. It should be considered even more alarming than corruption. After all, corruption is a national phenomenon.

Addiction is not so universal in India. The rampancy of the problem and the harm it's doing to such a large chunk of the talented core is well known and doesn't require much elaboration. More than the much touted proximity to the Myanmar border; the very creative nature and innate talent of the Manipuris also seem to be a reason why we are so besotted with alcohol and drugs. Historically creative and strong races are known to be very fond of intoxicants. The victorious Romans and the creative Greeks were lovers of alcohol; the Greeks even have a God of Liquor. The greatest Urdu poet of all time, Ghalib was an aficionado of the laced liquid, even Swami Vivekananda used to love his drinks. The all prevalent pursuit of a high culminating in such a disastrous waste of talents makes it even more shocking.

'Say no to drugs'. The line is one of the most widely seen and known slogan promoting a social message. The effectiveness of slogan; how far it has affected the populace remains a paradox. It has definitely brought a better awareness on the ill effects of drugs and alcohol. But it has not deterred or inspired people to stay away from the intoxicants much. On the question of how far the campaign has been successful to motivate addicts and wean them away from their daily dose; the effectiveness of the campaign is abysmal.

Overall, it is unimaginative and dull. The slogan at best is catchy and well-remembered. But the impact on the intended mission has fallen flat way from the target. Who doesn't know it's bad to use drugs or drink alcohol? The commanding nature it has been worded has rendered it now, even tiresome and certainly bleak. It dwells very little on how to say no.

Humans, by nature require pleasure and entertainment to lead a normal life. There are people who live lives devoid of entertainment or pleasures. But they are forced to do so and those lives cannot be termed as normal. Remember even prisons have facilities meant for entertainment. The euphoria or the 'high' that alcohol and drugs induce to a user is the most common and easily available in any society. Surprisingly people fall prey to it knowingly. And those who manage to leave the intoxicants get into relapses because of the very human nature of seeking a high.

Any advice or counselling which does not promise hope is bound to fail. After all, people listen if something is promised. Without a semblance of promise of hope, those verbal volleys are dismissed as condescending and irksome. Addicts are required to be told that there is life, an enjoyable life, beyond alcohol, drugs. And life indeed is enjoyable without those mind altering substances.

What is required is an acceptance of an alternative. It takes time to adjust to a new way of living but it's not so difficult at the same time. People living as slaves to alcohol and drugs need to be told that the present masters of their lives are not the only things which entertains, which give that much needed 'high'. Life without those chemicals is not gloomy at all. It's enjoyable and we even have the luxury of choosing from a myriad ways of entertainment; of being happy. What one chooses is his decision; in accordance to individual traits. But a common and very enjoyable, very sure outcome is good health.

Every religion lays down ways for a good life. Faith promises eternal bliss. Happiness is a motivational factor next to none. Pleasure or the next high is just a part of that larger goal of humans called happiness. Give a man a promise of happiness and he can do wonders. Assuage a suspecting mind with hope and it starts reacting positively.

An addict in the early stages of recovery is most emotionally unstable above the physical debility. His obsession with that high of a dose leads him back repeatedly to the old ways. Even knowing that going back to the old ways can be hellish; they relapse due to the sheer force of that need of a high.

A willing and intentional journey back to the quagmire! They need to be constantly reminded that life is not bleak without their habitual indulgences. They need to be reassured with a hope that, life can go on happily without complications. The reward is life itself. And there are different but even better 'highs' elsewhere. How wrong were those of us who thought that life without drinks would be dull. That 'colourful' period lasted only as long as the chemicals did. The joys and colours sans the induced sense of euphoria last as long as we want.

Now the keys of our happiness are in our own hands! No 'high' is better than the knowledge of your having led a life without any chemicals; no euphoria is more elating than counting the days of victory over the intoxicants. Nothing is more assuring than waking up without fear or shame, no pride greater than saying no to a glass offered.

Repeating those too well known harangues on the evils of alcohol and drugs is not enough. Telling and wherever possible, showing an alternative way of a happy life is the need of the hour. It's not just saying no to drugs: this Cheiraoba, let the message be: "It's great saying no to drugs".