Most drug addicts in the city are finding it difficult to return to a normal life despite rehabilitation efforts by the various non-governmental agencies.

According to people running Navjeevan, a socialisation centre for drug addicts in the city, very few people return to normal life. Navjeevan caters to about 500 drug users of whom 138 avail the opium-based medication know as Oral Substitution Therapy, said Mr Shyjesh, the coordinator of Injection Drug Users project of Kerala State AIDS Control Society (KSACS).

“We have been giving opium-based medication namely ‘oral substitute therapy’ to help the drug users escape the psychedelic grip,” Mr Shyjesh said.

Navjeevan paints a vivid picture of the lives devastated by the addiction. Visitors to the centre range from people with good educational backgrounds to auto drivers.

Most of them now realize that they had started drugs without having any idea about the magnitude of the consequences.

“I first tasted it for fun and enjoyed the ecstasy of the moment,” said Mr Kabeer an addict. A pinch of brown sugar when heated turns into an oily liquid which when injected gives a high, he explained.

A three- wheeler driver, Mr Kabeer left his job as well as his wife and two children for the drug-induced euphoria. As the money dried up he became a sort of agent for recruiting fresh people into the various drug dens in the city. It was at this point that Mr Kabeer was picked up by Mr Shyjesh, “We introduced them to safe methods of drug use, recognizing adulterated stuff and using the correct dosage”, he said.

For the last few years at Navjeevan, Mr Shyjesh and his friend Mr Shiju are assisting drug users to return to normal life. Mr Kabeer is normal now and but too tired to do any manual jobs. The drug has drained him of all his energy. Is he free from drugs? No, once you are trapped it is tough to escape. “Even now I take drugs once in a while,” he said.