Woman recounts struggle to save 3 sons from drugs abuse
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, June 06 2024: All her sons were drug addicts.

She was breathin, but not living.

Her entire world turned upside down and she even tried to take her own life.

This was years ago when Thambal [name changed] was running from pillar to post and putting in every effort to rehabilitate her three sons and help them live a new life-a meaningful life free of drugs.

Now, Thambal is as happy as she can be.

Her children are living a normal and drug free life.

Her children are once again alive like their friends in their locality.

She has a million thanks for the Narcotics Anonymous (NA), a group which has helped her sons overcome addiction.

Thambal hails from a place in Imphal West district and her three sons are all under the age of 30 years.

Woman recounts struggle to save 3 sons from drugs abuse

She talked about the "hard times" to The Sangai Express and said the eldest son first fell victim to drugs and gradually the younger brothers began abusing drugs.

Thambal said most contact numbers in her mobile phone were of rehabilitation centres.

She said her sons were in and out of rehab centres many times without any success.

"Thinking I might call rehab centres, they used to delete the contact numbers of the centres saved in the mobile.

So, I wrote the numbers in a piece of paper and hid it," Thambal said.

As soon as they came out of rehab centres, they would use drugs again.

She would then admit them at a rehab centre.

She had to use "every penny" she had to keep them in the rehab centres.

"It cost a lot of money.

They were constantly in and out of rehab centres.

I used whatever money I had with the hope to rehabilitate them and give them a new life--a new outlook on life," said Thambal.

The three brothers began to move away from drugs after they attended a "meeting" of the NA (Narcotics Anonymous), Thambal said.

"Now, all my children have given up drugs.

They are on a new path of living a clean and healthy life," said Thambal as she heaped praises on the NA for the "miracle" .

26-year-old Yaima [name changed], the middle of the three brothers, told The Sangai Express his elder brother fell victim to drugs first.

"When our [eldest] brother fell victim to drugs, I used to earn money to keep him in rehabilitation centre.

I knew drugs were bad.

Our family was in deep trouble, and I gradually started using drugs thinking it would ease my pain and provide relief from the trouble we had," Yaima said.

When one member of a family falls victim to drugs, the chance of other family members falling victims is high, Yaima said, citing their family as an example.

Even after the eldest fell victim to drugs, Thambal said she tried her best to keep the younger brothers safe from drugs.

When all efforts failed, Thambal said she tried taking her own life.

"I did try my best to keep the younger brothers safe from drugs, but failed.

When Yaima and Atomba (youngest son--name changed) began using drugs, my world turned upside down.

Shattered and broken from the inside, I tried taking my own life," Thambal said.

Talking to The Sangai Express about their journey towards a "clean and healthy life", Yaima said his family had little trust in the Narcotics Anonymous (NA) to help them rehabilitate when scores of rehab centres had already failed.

"Our family, friends and relatives all thought NA wouldn't be of much help.

NA is a group of people who were once users themselves.

This was all the more reason for them not trusting it (NA)," Yaima said.

When others had little faith in them and the NA, the brothers braved all odds and negativity and attended the first NA meeting.

"I'll never forget how people in our locality were looking at us when we three brothers went together to NA meetings," Yaima added.

He said the brothers faced all shorts of charges and suspicion from their family and locality in the initial days.

"We attended NA meetings.

Our eyes were red from going out in the open and due to wind.

People would then spread rumours and raise suspicion that they were using drugs again.

Nobody would believe us," Yaima said.

Notably, the Narcotics Anonymous (NA) started as a small movement in the late 1940s in Los Angeles, California.

It gradually developed as a fellowship/group of recovered and recovering drug users who encourage fellow users to recover from addiction.

The group was established in Manipur in 1988 .

The NA organises meetings where the members encourage each other to avoid drugs, live healthy and overcome addiction.

The members aim to create an environment which would help them overcome addiction themselves.

NA is spread across 143 countries, and in a week, these groups hold at least 76,000 meetings or sessions.

Manipur has 18 NA groups and they hold at least 47 meetings/sessions in a week.

A fellow of the NA who has been with the group for some years, spoke to The Sangai Express about his experience.

"Everybody knows abusing drugs is bad, but we keep indulging in bad habits that ultimately make us addicts.

Addiction is a disease that is not treatable with medicine," he said.

One can't hide bad habits for long.

When the bad habits and characters manifest and come out in the open, one should be able to face them and acknowledge them, he said.

"We must enable ourselves and admit that we were using drugs because we wanted to use them, and we were seeking them.

We use it because we want to use it and we can give them up anytime we want.

One must be able to think this way to overcome addiction," he said.

Those who are sincere about quitting drugs and those who want a clean life may approach NA for help and assistance.

"Sincerity is key to overcoming addiction.

One must truly want what he wants," he added.

He said NA can be contacted and reached on mobile number 9366120877 .

Even as the three brothers are beginning a new and meaningful journey of being clean and healthy, Thambal too has learned a few lessons from her sons which she thinks will help others in need of help.

She has a prayer for those in need.

"Please give me strength to avoid drugs today" .

"If we are able to avoid drugs today, then we would be able to avoid drugs every day," Thambal said.