Spirit behind Kripa Foundation’s pursuit for recovery of youth battling addiction

Joyeeta Bhattacharjee

(joyeeta321@gmail.com)

&

Ba i dajanai Khongwir

Substance abuse is a persistent, contemporary social reality, and a vast majority of the country’s youth are enduring its grappling physical (tremors, excruciating pain, breathlessness, sleeplessness, self-harm, risky sexual behaviours like HIV transmission), psychological (nightmares, anxiety, depression, suicidal tendencies, withdrawal, uncontrolled aggression, isolation and so on) and social (academic and employment aberrations, housing instabilities, losing interest in life and many more) effects. Several studies reveal that in India, individuals under 35 years of age, irrespective of their gender, make up 44% of people with substance addiction. Substance Use Disorder or SUD (the current broader term for substance abuse, in DSM-5) may stem from exogenous structural factors like experiences of violence/distress, peer-influence, living in poverty, living with extraordinary wealth and access; or even internal factors like motivation, faulty cognitive patterns, distress, inability in coping with life’s challenges, an inherently isolated/withdrawn personality, uncontrolled dependence on prescribed medicines for the  treatment of physical conditions, and so on. 

In India, SUD spreads like wildfire from the most urbanised to the most remote regions, highlighting how individuals belonging to every socio-economic stratum may be susceptible to it. To quote a child struggling with SUD from a government school in New Delhi, “I wanted 10 rupees, not for a biscuit that doesn’t satisfy my hunger, but for something that will keep me intoxicated so that I don’t feel hungry” (translated from Hindi); to an adolescent from an affluent family in Bangalore currently seeking treatment at a facility who recalls, “I needed these for the treatment of my mood disorder… I don’t know when this became my habit,” SUD strikes as an all-pervasive phenomenon.

Thus, it is a serious concern that calls for immediate attention by policymakers and leaders. In lieu of this, Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma has spearheaded a robust anti-narcotics drive under the banner “#AssamAgainstDrugs”—the state has seized over Rs 2,600 crore worth of narcotics and arrested more than 20,000 individuals since 2021. While this has reduced the access to substance, but SUD still sadly poses a threat to the huge population that is already addicted to it.

Therefore, treatment of SUD is a complex and multifaceted endeavour, requiring the collaboration of various healthcare professionals, including counsellors, psychiatrists, neurologists, general physicians, and clinical psychologists, as well as social workers.

But community spirit is what has emerged as a major agent of transforming lives by supporting individuals struggling with substance usage through treatment and rehabilitation. In this context, Kripa Foundation at Meghalaya (a non-profit, rehabilitative, de-addiction centre) provides a unique and holistic approach to tackle the issue among its adolescent inmates. It is an instance of community support bridging the gap of accessibility between individuals/members of the community and mental healthcare. Its centres are located in Umroi, Ri-bhoi District, and at Mawdiangdiang, East Khasi Hills District. 

It engages a host of professionals in the care of the former while successfully exploring various techniques to assist inmates in overcoming their addiction and achieving long-term recovery, such as individual counselling, group counselling, family counselling, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and Motivational Interviewing (MI). It comprises a Director, Centre in-charge, Psychiatrist, Psychologist, Counsellors, Nurses Recreational Teachers and essential staff members (cleaner, cook, driver, ward boy and security guards). Even in its mere capacity as a 20-bedded facility, it makes mental healthcare readily available to the masses. It takes emotional safety to the hills. What distinguishes Kripa Foundation is the empathy, compassion and kindness embodied by counsellors who believe in in-depth conversations with inmates. Further, Kripa Foundation is not limited to treating the individual using a singular or reductionist approach. They employ a mix of group and family counselling to provide a sense of solidarity to the inmates and understand them as people rather than as patients or subjects. To quote one of the recovering inmates, “Talking to them (members and counsellors at Kripa) makes me feel like a burden has been lifted off my shoulders that was sitting for ages.” Participants in the author’s research also revealed feeling accepted and free of judgement to express their feelings during the intervention. Another distinguishing feature is the foundation’s willingness to look after its inmates through activities such as sports, structured routines (that function to reintegrate them back into society), vocational training, and life skills education that not only support the healing process but also regulate emotions, build self-discipline, and create motivation. Therefore, despite its challenges, like limited infrastructure and remote location, Kripa Foundation works to foster a conducive social environment, the prior absence of which may have led its inmates to addiction.

This is an exemplary effort and a call to communities to support in a fight against substance abuse.