“I AM SORRY”

Do these words sound very much familiar to you? Do you listen to it quite often?

Families are severely affected by this phrase. And due to this reason they carry no value for these words.

In an addict’s life, words and action never matches. An addict in his daily course says sorry to every person. But he never means it. He daily swores promises for not taking the drugs again. He promises for a better tomorrow, but it never happens. When he comes back to his senses (after drugs), he sees the mess he has created. He starts feeling ashamed of himself. He gets frustrated. He again says sorry to his family. But as his craving of drugs starts again, he finds a reason to fight from nowhere. For him this becomes a perfect excuse to take drugs. He forgets that due to his addiction, he has already spoiled his relations. For him saying sorry is an excuse of avoiding the situation. He does not want to confront the reality.

 In the treatment resident do not say sorry, instead he is made to realise about his wrong action. For example, if a resident wakes up late in the morning, then as a learning experience he is given a direction to wake up one hour before and sleep one hour late. This will make him alert for the next time regarding the daily schedule of the house. By this he actually takes responsibility of his act. He is confident, that he will never repeat the wrong behaviour again.

 This change in his personality is evolved while being in the treatment. He starts treating his words with honesty. Treatment is about realization of the mistakes in true spirit. So that the word ‘I am Sorry’ do not lose its importance.

ILLUMINATING YOUNG MINDS

Young members of SHAFA family experienced altogether different vibes on Dussehra day (Indian festival that celebrates the victory of good over evil).

In the junior house (at Delhi) the newly joined residents showed great excitement and seemed to be totally absorbed in the celebrations. It was surprising to see how junior residents came up with a wonderful program. Role play depicting the epic Ramayana was performed. Some disguised as Ravana, some as Sita, the atmosphere was spiritually motivated. It was astonishing to see that residents have so much of potential. After the function which was directed, coordinated and performed by residents themselves, the aura of positivity was felt. One of the young members said ‘I never realised that I can perform in front of so many people without being high on drugs. I never felt so confident’. Similar words by residents conveyed hope and happiness for other residents.

In the senior house (kotdwar) month long hard work was visible. 60 feet Ravana made by none other than SHAFA residents seemed to be touching the sky. The 'Ramlila' (an enactment of the life of Lord Rama) was performed for 9 days every evening, giving residents to work on their involvement and confidence building. All these enactment have a therapeutic purpose. For example, while performing any character (ex. Lord Rama) the resident does ‘act as if’ of the value, the character had. He talks about responsibility, accountability, standing for the truth, being honest and so on. So when the resident speaks these words, there is a change within. He understands the kind of person he could have been, had he followed those values. Bonfires and fireworks alleviate everyone to a festive mood.

The residents bear in mind the example of Ravana, who despite all his might and majesty was destroyed for his evil ways. Hence, the burning of effigies of Ravana is symbolic of burning the evil from within for the residents and thus they follow the path of truth and goodness.