Ever since my first visit to one of the Society for Promotion of Youth and Masses’ (SPYM’s) juvenile drug rehabilitation centers, the same question has incessantly passed through my head- how on earth can children so young and endearing end up as recovering drug addicts?
Now that I have visited the centers numerous times, I recognize that this awful situation arises from the troubling backgrounds that haunt many of these children. Some originate from financially struggling families who cannot afford three square meals a day. Some have parents who themselves are ravaged by alcoholism and substance abuse. Some are orphans who were found fending for themselves on the streets. Drugs start out as a curious experiment for these kids to try, and with minds and bodies so young and unprepared, they soon become ensnared in vicious cycles of addiction.
Thanks to the immense stigma surrounding drug abuse that is present in India, these children find it next to impossible to get the aid and solace necessary to break free from their addictions. In a similar manner to how LGBT members in India struggle to have their voices heard, these children are too often viewed with apprehension and fear. This mentality further alienates these kids and pushes them even deeper into addiction. Alcohol and drugs are an escape—somewhere they can go to block out the arduous challenges inherent in their daily lives. There are desperately few places in India that offer these youth true understanding and support (the SPYM centers, thankfully, are attempting to do just that).
A rough and fading wall inscription at one of the centers.
The most troubling aspect of this realization is that I have been to India numerous times before to visit relatives, but had never once noticed this dreadful problem that plagues so many youth. Having remained in the confines of upper middle class life, I could not truly understand the conditions of the less fortunate around me. I certainly cared about them, but remained woefully ignorant of what they actually went through and what I could do to help. It is only now, having made the honest effort to step away from my comfort zone, that I am able to see the harsh realities. In this way, the internship is teaching me the vital importance of actively making the time and effort to expose oneself to the conditions of the underprivileged, regardless of how separate one’s world might be from theirs.