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Last week there was another death due to drug over dose in Dharamshala. He was from Amdo Naba and he is 26 years old. he came to India at the age of five and he has never seen his family since then. He studied in TCV school and studied thanka Painting from TCV vocational training center pathlikul, in North India.  A monk friend of him was telling me he has never spoke to his mother for last four years due to dialect issue(since he could not speak in Amdo dialect ).

Last year he was being rehabilitated at Zhedhe Khangsar, Dharadun. He was discharge earlier this after the completion of his rehabilitation program. We at kunphen has been talking to him and trying to help him ever since he came here. We offered him a job in our paper project but he didn’t turn in. Its very breaking when some one dies of own made death.

During his cremation we thought it would be very necessary to mark our presence there as the gesture of condolence. We are very happy for Monks of Kriti Monastery for organizing his cremation. Our determination to fight this social malady. May universe protect him from Drugs and other misfortune in his next life…

View at Picasa 01-Dec-2011 11:25, Canon Canon EOS 7D, 22.0, 22.0mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 3200

According to some AIDS activist and our general assumption,  approximately 83,000 Tibetan refugees in India could be categorised as high-risk group for HIV infection due to high mobility, poverty, and lack of access to healthcare facilities. It is very important to such organization like us, Choice and Dept of Health to work together to make this (Getting to Zero – zero new HIV infection, zero discrimination, and zero AIDS related deaths. )a promise kept. Like wise this years world AIDS was commemorated on same platform with own capabilities.

The day was begin with a formal function for CTA staffs and general public at Gangchen kyishong (Where CTA is located). During the function Mr Damchoe talked about how he and his family has been stigmatize and discriminate in Society for being HIV positive. after the formal function there was a street play from Tibet Theatre.

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After their program in CTA ground dept of health join us in Mcloed ganj in establishing their stall in Dolma Chok. Tibet theatre has perform in McLeod’s main square. The main message of the street play is on how HIV/AIDS spread from one infected person to an another. That is via three route (through unprotected Sex, Mother to child and use of an infected blood and blood products).

As you can see from the picture and upcoming video many people from different walks of life has joined the program and there are very eager to know truth about HIV/AIDS.  We have to close our stall in the after noon as we have limited permit from authority to put our stall. At the end this commemoration of World Aids has been most innovative so far… At the end we would like to thank our supporters, boys under our care and our partner CHOICE HIV/AIDS initiative and DEPT OF HEALTH (CTA) for making this program a very successful one. We also would like to congratulate them and our self in many years of service on this cause.

Alcohol- and drug-related crimes cost the state $429 million last year, according to a study by the West Virginia Prevention Resource Center. That is just the cost of investigating and prosecuting crimes resulting from substance abuse, and housing those imprisoned for it.

But as U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., has pointed out, that is just the tip of the iceberg. Employers have complained to him they have trouble filling job vacancies because of drug and alcohol abuse.

Educators are painfully aware of the problem. Children hooked on alcohol or other drugs usually do poorly in school. When their parents or guardians are substance abusers, the all-important education support network is weakened – or collapses entirely.

The problem may be growing worse. As many as 152,000 Mountain State residents have substance abuse problems, studies estimate.

These are not numbers pulled out of the air. Drug overdoses are now the leading cause of death for West Virginians under 45 years of age. The number of overdose deaths increased 550 percent from 1994 to 2004.

A shocking study in 2009, conducted at eight hospitals in the state, found 20 percent of babies born there had been exposed to drugs while still in the womb. Last year, one of those hospitals did a follow-up test involving babies’ umbilical cords – and found the percentage had increased to 33. That’s one in three babies born in that hospital.

The national average is 4 percent.

Good Lord. Substance abuse already is a social and law enforcement crisis in West Virginia. Clearly, it is having an adverse effect on our economy.

Let’s be frank: Our state already suffers from unflattering stereotypes. Add to that a reputation as a state full of addicts, and what corporate executive in his right mind would locate a plant or store here?

We don’t have the money – or the time – to waste on anti-drug fads or politically correct approaches to the problem. West Virginians need to find ways to take a massive bite out of substance abuse immediately.

Their motto is “Dinner Makes A Difference.” Research by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA Columbia) at Columbia University has consistently found “the more often kids eat dinner with their families, the less likely they are to smoke, drink or use drugs.”

Who knew something as simple as eating dinner together could have such a huge impact on our children?

I personally enjoy family dinners, except for the cleaning up part. It’s the perfect time of day to catch up and talk. According to CASA Columbia, talking is the secret to keeping kids away from drugs.

The type of conversation and family time that occurs at the dinner table really does “make a difference.” You don’t have to talk about the big issues; the simple act of engaging one another is what influences our children to become responsible adults.

Some of my most favorite childhood memories are of family dinners. I remember laughing a lot but I also remember having serious conversations about life. I felt a sense of belonging and comfort at the dinner table and I’m guessing that is what helps to keep kids on the right track. If they don’t feel like they fit in at home, they may try and find that feeling somewhere else.

Studies have also linked family dinners to better grades, higher self esteem, less depression, and healthier diets for kids. It has also been suggested that family dinners often create happier marriages which in turn make happier families.

Don’t forget, manners and respect are also taught at the dinner table and that is priceless in today’s world. I read somewhere, and I cannot remember where, that family dinners teach children how to be civilized members of society. Maybe there wouldn’t be as much bullying and disrespect for authority and property if children shared meals with parents or guardians on a regular basis?

So, tonight, have dinner together and enjoy each other’s company. Turn off the TV, ban the cell phones and iPods, and sit, eat and talk. I know it’s hard to find the time but it is well worth the effort.

What happens at the dinner table stays with you the rest of your life.

A presidential proclamation states that the fourth Monday in September is Family Day—A Day to Eat Dinner with your Children. President Obama wants you to eat dinner with your family tonight.

Don’t let him down.

Dharamshala:  The Tibet Post International is in conversation with Mr. Tenzin Legphel from Kunphen, the first and only Tibetan run non-governmental organization (NGO) that provides programs focusing on treatment and care for alcohol and drug abusers. The centre also provides assistance to HIV/AIDS victims as well as developing human resources by promoting education and carrying out awareness campaigns in communities.
Soft spoken, yet eloquent, Legphel did his schooling from upper TCV in Dharamshala, and went on to earn his Bachelor’s degree from Punjab University in Chandigarh. For the past six years, he has worked at Kunphen , with the last two years in a directorial capacity.

Legphel says that he first came to Kunphen as a volunteer, and later joined the organisation because of a close personal reason: “My cousin had died earlier of a drug overdose, and due to this I became more involved in Kunphen and its activities.”

Legphel says that the HIV/AIDS and drug abuse are connected because most of the cases of HIV/AIDS come from drug users who inject themselves using unsafe methods and unsterilized needles. The Kunphen office normally deals with this issue in two different ways.

Methods and Treatment

The first method is to send affected patients to different rehabilitation centres that are being run by the Indian government and other private institutions. As far as possible, these patients are sent to these facilities free of cost, because most of the addicts are poor and live on the street.

According to the NGO ‘s website “The entire expenditure for treatment is being paid through Kunphen. Fifty percent of the total cost of each user’s rehab is being donated by the Tibetan Government in Exile’s Department of Health. The cost for each user’s treatment varies according to the severity of the addiction and the participant’s health. Through our rehabilitation program we help more than 20 addicts each year.”

Legphel also talked about the “After Care Program” saying that “this is the second step in assisting a drug addict or user with recovery. After-care is a unique program and it holds a very important place in our efforts to ensure users recover successfully and completely.”

The “After Care Program” is used to help drug addicts who are normally ostracized by society. This is a way for people like this to go back to their normal life with their family and in society. In the program, sufferers are given basic vocational training to help them find jobs after a life of addiction. Sadly most of these patients are High school dropouts, most of whom do not even get past the Eighth grade.

Spreading awareness and reaching out

Legphel talks about Kunphen’s “Awareness and Outreach Program”, where volunteers and staff members travel to Tibetan settlements, schools and other public places to sensitize and educate the general public, youth and educators about drug addiction and its dangers.

PowerPoint presentations are made, and also to make it more interesting, video clips are shown from various documentaries to showcase the evils of addiction. In schools, children in the age group of 13 to 20 are specifically targeted, because Legphel believes that this demographic segment is the most vulnerable to peer pressure that cause them to use or try drugs.

He tells us of past efforts such as music concerts. These events have been a huge success in the past and become a very popular and effective way of addressing HIV/AIDS and drug abuse, while disseminating information in a more socially acceptable yet fun way.

Success Stories and Hope for a Better Life

Kunphen has so far helped 125 people to get out of drug addiction, but Legphel says that these 125 were willing to help themselves and give themselves a fighting chance for a shot at a new life. When asked about the countless others who are too afraid to help themselves, and what is Kunphen’s strategy to these people Legphel says:

“The first step would be to just talk to these people and mingle with them, become one with the crowd. Most times, this is undertaken by the staff at Kunphen, but if the situation is too difficult, then former drug addicts are used, to help the current sufferers open up about their condition and state of mind. It’s a form of counseling, but it’s done by a former drug addict.”

Worrying Trends

When asked about the possible trends in drug abuse and the profiles of drug abusers, Legphel had some alarming points. He said that, “earlier on, drug addicts would be older, around the ages of 30 and above, although now that is changing. Addiction has started from a younger age, i.e. the teenage years from the ages of 14 to the late 20′s. The addicts who were older, were able to think for themselves and are later on able to battle addiction on their own, but teenagers do not have that capacity”

He said that more and more teenagers have started using pharmaceutical drugs, which really have an adverse effect, mentally and physically. Earlier, drugs like marijuana, which is readily available across the state and neighbouring areas, were used. But now, also pharmaceutical drugs like Spasmo and some psycho-pharmaca pills are beeing used. These pills are a mix of other powerful drugs and are therefore extremely dangerous. When taken by mental patients, these pills may help, but when taken by people who do not need them, they can be immensely dangerous.

Gender Ratio

Legphel says that the gender ratio of addicts remains almost wholly in favour of men, although this is not to say that there are no women addicts. The women who do suffer are normally too scared to come out into the public with their problems.

Making Ends Meet

Mr Legphel tells us that when Kunphen had first started out ten years ago, they received a generous donation of 25 lakhs from The Office of His Holiness The Dalai Lama. This money was then used to setup the clinic and the office for the organization.

Kunphen now runs on Donations from volunteers and other charitable means.