In 2019, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and The National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre released a report called- National Survey on Extent and Pattern of Substance Use. At the national level, an estimated 2.9 crore of people in India are dependent on alcohol. About 25 lakh Indians are dependent on cannabis such as charas, ganja, and 28 lakh Indians are dependent on opioid substances such as heroin. 

In this episode, Suno India’s Ayesha Fatima explores what addiction is like for addicts themselves, as well as their family members. Ayesha speaks with two former addicts who shares their battling journey of de-addiction spurring and inspiring people to overcome this ordeal. She also speaks with V Gideon is a de-addiction therapist and is the director of  Living Sober Rehab, a deaddiction centre in Hyderabad, and Dr Lakshman Sudhir Gandham who is a consultant psychiatrist at Cadabam Hospital, Hyderabad. Ayesha Fatima worked as an intern.

References

Magnitude of substance use in India
Why are Drugs so Hard to Quit? | National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Clinical Guidelines for Withdrawal Management and Treatment of Drug Dependence in Closed Settings - NCBI Bookshelf