Now, this is called treatment ... getting
connected to the mainstream of the social environment. As addicts lose their emotional
belongingness to the people or things around them, they tend to go deeper into
their web of addiction, which they have woven around them.
Readers must be wondering as to what are we trying to convey, as it has no connection with Valentine’s Day ... Let
us make it clear, what does an addict loose the most during his addiction
days? His contact with his own self and his love for himself. He keeps
piercing his own veins for injections, he vomits blood because of alcohol
and still continues to consume alcohol ... then how do you expect him to love
himself, how do we expect him to love his wife, children, girlfriend, pets,
parents, job etc.
So here lies the connection - celebrating Valentine’s Day does not only mean expressing your love for the
beloved. It means expressing our love for everyone whom we love. And someone
who cannot love himself cannot love anyone else. Hence, one should learn to
love thyself first ... express this love for thyself ... celebrate this love for
thyself.
This year the re-entry residents
from SHAFA expressed and celebrated their love for themselves by watching a musical theatre. For the first time they were doing something for
their own self. They were feeling good about themselves. They were amongst bigwigs
of the creative industry, they were feeling a part of the mainstream of
society. They were rubbing their shoulders with the so called “normal people”
of this society. They were learning to adhere to their rules, mannerisms and
learning to behave normally with them. They were very subtle in their behaviour, they were not loud and showed respect for others and themselves too.
This was their way of 'celebrating a new life and celebrating Valentine'.
