Us and Them: A Self-Reflection on Visiting Drug Abuse Care and Cure Center

I was so blessed to have the oppurtunity to make a visit to drug abuse care and cure center in Malaysia. The expereince left me in an awe and I am sure that I have at least learned something from this visit. I am personally very grateful to have such a program to allow me to learn directly from real life context. I was preparing myself physically as well as mentally not to be judgmental or biased. Besides, I have also prepared a bunch of questions to ask the patients if when we have the chance to interview them.

This visit has helped me to become more aware of my surroundings since there are a lot of people involved with drugs and they need assistance. In fact, just a few blocks from our residence there are people who are really thankful if anyone could reach out to them and treat them like any other people. And those people could be our closest one - friends, neighbors or even our brothers and sisters. What they need is kindness and acceptance from the society to help them believe that they are a part it.

My first visit was to National Anti-Drugs Agency famously identified by its colloquial acronyms AADK located in Batu Caves, Gombak. Even though the place is small and situated right in the center of town, the services they provided are adequate. I had an opportunity to interview an addict who had been abusing drugs for twenty years and he is currently being treated there. He was very eager to share his experience with us regarding this. He hopes that his story will be a lesson for others. Firstly, he begins with how he got involved in drugs. He started using drugs in 1988 when he just turned 20. At that time, he was curious because many of his friends were involved in drugs. He admitted that his friends had a very strong influence on him during his adolescence. Esteves, E. and Emler, N. P., (2008) found that young people with negative environment tend to more high risk in involving with high risk activities such as antisocial behavior and drug use. In addition, during that time there were no many advertisements showing the dangers of drugs abuse so there is gap in of information regarding this. The only information about drugs he could find was from his peers.

When people try to use drugs, it is very difficult to stop them. Because their only concern is to enjoy drugs even if they have to resort to illegal behaviors. They would do anything such as stealing, selling stolen goods or even killing people. When he told us what he has done to get drugs, I was reflecting to some theories from class why drug substances are very dangerous when misused. When drugs enter the brain, they can interfere with its normal processing and eventually lead to changes in the works of brain.

Kuhar (2012) said that drug abuse like demons that would disrupt the chemicals and nerve cells and bring ones to disastrous. Moreover, it could lead to long-term changes in the brain’s reward system as well as other brain systems. Drugs can alter important brain areas such as brain stem, the cerebral cortex and the limbic system that are necessary for life-sustaining functions. In brief, drugs abuse could results in loss of self-control.

Furthermore, in terms of Islamic perspective, drug substance such as consumption of alcohol is one of the greatest sins that Allah prohibited. Alcohol is the root causes of several problems facing society.
A family support especially a mother plays very important part to help a drug abuser to quit. When a family accepts them sincerely it is easier for them to quit. A family’s continuous prayer is believed able to move their hearts and bring them back to the right path. This is the best cure and treatment that they are can afford. Our interviewee said that it is very difficult to quit whenone is addicted. The main temptation comes from fellow drug users. They actively influence him to use drugs again. As a solution, AADK Gombak regularly and continuously examines patient’s urine in order to ensure that they are clean from drug substances. This method is believed to be powerful enough to stop patients from using drugs. It is because if the test results positive from drugs they might be removed from the rehabilitation center and jailed.

Another challenge that drug users face is when they try to mingle with their community but not everyone can accept them sincerely. However, many people still treat them like criminals and to some extent this could lead them to withdraw from the society and choose to mingle with the ex-users. AADK provided programs to prepare them to return to the community. Program such as Caring Community House (CCH) helps them a lot of preparing themselves to return to society. Fortunately, our interviewee said that today people have become more open minded towards ex drug users.
Looking at all programs and effort AADK has done, I believe that cooperation of the government, family as well as society as is the best way to prevent from getting involved in drugs.
Second place we visited was to a non-governmental nursing home known as Teduhan Kasih located in Sungai Buloh. This nursing home was initiated by a converted Muslim who saw the need to nursing to those who are addicted to drugs and were shunned from social life and now wanted to start a new life. It was differently from the previous place we had stopped, this place is located in a quiet residential area and it was a comfortable and simple house. The pleasant atmosphere and warmth welcomed us to seek lesson there.

There is a lot of amazing things we found there starting from the staffs, the philosophy and treatment they are provided. The nursing home is run by an ex drug user who was involved in drugs for 13 years. Similarly, all of others staffs are also ex drug users who have fully recovered and want to help others.
In contrast to the previous place, here, most patients come voluntarily to seek treatment. They are also not required to report regularly. The house does not even have a fence to prevent patients to escape. Thus, only those with strong desire and high motivation can survive here. Once they are recovered, this place gives them positive impacts to them to start a new life and discover their potentials with guidance of the nursing. Because all the staffs are ex drug users, they aware of how the patients feeling and how they can recover soon. Hence, even though it is hard they do not use methadone-a legal addiction detoxification to reduce pain- as one of their treatments. What they do is they strengthen and carry out a positive affirmation that they are able to become a better human being. To remind them, whenever they are doing sharing moment after Ashar they will introduce themselves by their name and saying “I am ex user and will not return as a user anymore”.

Another unique thing is the motivation words which hare hung from the ceiling. The words were hung in sequence to the process they will experience during their days there. For instance a word “Why am I here “to motivate them to bear out all the pain. Another word is “men help men” is to remind them to help each other through the rehabilitation process and later when they are back to their community.

In short, the treatment they provided is called therapeutic community which involves various stakeholders such as inhabitant and ustadz reinforcing them not to go back to drugs. One other thing that really made an impression on me from the place is that when the azan is calling, they leave their activities and get ready to pray. It moved my heart and I believe this place will have big impact to change the patients’ behavior.

Finally, I think what both agency have done is to be appreciated and supported. Community should leave any stigma regarding the drug addicts and should be willing to work hand in hand with them to combat the addiction and give them full support. And I hope the lessons we have got from their experiences will not just end as a written assignment but will always be etched in our soul as a life long lesson. Before going back, I secretly prayed for all of them to be strong and be better person who will contribute to the society especially to the ummah at large.

Source
Kuhar, M. (2012). The Addicted Brain; Why We Abuse Drugs, Alcohol, and Nicotine. New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.

Esteves, E. and Emler, N. P., (2008). A Structural Modelling Approach to Predict Adolescent Offending Behaviour from Family, School and Community Factors. European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research.Volume 16, pp 207-220

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