Robi Engti recovered from his alcohol addiction and brought electricity to Karbi village in Assam for the first time through the Art of Living Youth Leadership Training Program.
Addiction: A debilitating illness
“My husband became heavily dependent on alcohol after he lost his job. From his addiction, stemmed paranoia and delusion. During a visit to the mall with me and our ten-year-old son, the paranoia and delusion surfaced. He picked up our son, flung him from the first floor, and jumped himself. That day, our son passed away from the head injuries he suffered.” Padmini* shares how mentally and physically debilitating the illness of addiction can be.
“My 54-year-old father, who is a loving family man and a very well respected professional, came home in the wee hours of the night with blood-shot eyes, a purple face and a few teeth missing. He has been dependent on alcohol for more than six years now. Often, he is out binge drinking and returns home quite late. He was violently beaten on the street one night while he was inebriated. I have seen that alcohol makes him aggressive,” shares Shreen*.
Anil* says that after he lost his job at a reputed company, he started stealing from his family and friends to sustain his addictions. “If I was invited to relatives’ homes, they made sure to lock their cupboards and keep their wallets safe after they realized I was stealing,” he says.
Pankaj* was rusticated from a leading engineering college, and started peddling drugs to earn money to sustain his own addictions.
It is estimated that a mere 2% recognize addiction and seek help.
Substance abuse is a very crippling illness. It corrodes the mental and physical health of a person and has lasting repercussions on all aspects of the patient’s life. While it is estimated that millions are affected by addictions, only 2 percent of the patients in India even recognize the illness and seek help. Robi Engti is one such person.
42-year-old Robi Engti from Karbi village of Assam started drinking, smoking and doing drugs in school. The occasional drink and smoke turned into a habit. It grew into a deadly addiction with which he struggled for more than fifteen years.
Like many who have shared their experience of addiction on Art of Living programs, Robi too stressed on the extent to which it takes over your life. You need to use substance the moment you wake up, even before you brush your teeth, he shared.
“I had responsibilities as the eldest son that I could not carry. I could not cope with the stress my addictions brought on, because of which I suffered from insomnia apart from other illnesses. I felt like I had hit a dead-end in life,” he said.
Withdrawals, aggression, disinterest, depression, fear, anxiety, mistrust, and guilt are often seen in those suffering from addiction. While a physical injury is easy to recognize and treat, acknowledging addiction and seeking treatment is a challenge. While substance seems to give the dependent some pleasure, it increases thoughts that are negative. This depletes the energy of the person and overcoming it becomes an arduous task.
This creates friction between them and their family members and the community. When help is offered, it is not easily accepted. The family and community come under huge strain and therefore suffer.
Finding help
In 2009, Robi found a technique that would help him recover. Having heard of Art of Living rehabilitation programs, Robi's sister encouraged him to participate in the Youth Leadership Training Program (YLTP) in Diphu.
The yoga, meditation and Sudarshan Kriya taught on the YLTP helped Robi cope with withdrawal as well as the craving. The program addresses several negative emotions like guilt, anger, and loss of self-confidence. The program also recognizes that it is important to remove the stigma attached to addictions. Moreover, the program instructor and other participants share a non-judgmental space.
“The program made me more positive,” says Robi. “Before the program, I was not respected in my village. I was unable to overcome my addictions, and people’s disrespect and judgment made me shrivel with discontent. I continued to practice the yoga and Sudarshan Kriya after the program. The hold of cravings on my mind loosened.”
After the program is completed, participants can stay connected by taking up service initiatives in their community. This creates a support group for participants. When activities are taken up and completed, it positively channels the energy of recovering addicts and builds their self-confidence.
Robi started organizing several community projects. He organized Cleanliness Drives, Awareness Drives and free yoga camps called Nav Chetana and Bal Chetana Shibirs for adults and children. In 2010, he underwent The Teachers Training for the YLTP program and began teaching in rural Assam.
During the YLTP programs, other participants fighting the battle of addictions were able to relate to Robi’s own experience. As his substance abuse started in school, he dropped out of school after class ten. My mind would be in fuzz, he would share on his programs. Hearing this, others on the program were encouraged by his recovery and the success of his community empowerment projects.
Bringing light
In 2012, Robi along with Nilaxi Deka, YLTP State Coordinator and other volunteers, surveyed Klurbung Bakolia Karbi, a village located 183.5 km from the capital, Dispur.
People have lived in the village without electricity since its establishment. They travel around 12 kilometers to buy kerosene, which costs around Rs. 40 per liter. Kerosene lamps are not only a strain on the pockets of users, but also cause health and environmental hazards. Traditional fuel combustion, the primary source of indoor air pollution, causes between 300,000 - 400,000 deaths per year in India alone.
To bring electricity to the village, the team worked with the ‘Light a Home’ project, run by Sri Sri Rural Development Program. Electrification under the project is done through solar power. The project aims to make studying joyful for children with better illumination and no harmful CO2 emissions. Electricity can increase productivity and in-turn, income. It can also bring new opportunities to women entrepreneurs and make access to medical aid possible even at night.
With this endeavor, a beginning was made with 60 homes of Karbi. Each home received free solar lamps along with a solar disk to charge the lamps.
The Art of Living has distributed 10,500 solar lamps in remote villages of Assam, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, and Karnataka.
*Names changed to protect the identity of people.
Reported by Kumlin Engtipi.
