Across India, there are an estimated 250 million people struggling with drug and alcohol addiction. Unfortunately, opioid and cannabis use impacts approximately 2-3% of the total population, and of these 90% remain untreated for their drug use.
The majority of sufferers go untreated due to a number of different reasons, including a lack of overall awareness when it comes to drug addiction, a lack of infrastructure and negative stigmas and bias.
From busy cities to rural villages across India, addiction is eroding lives across different socioeconomic backgrounds. Across India, family honour and societal perception is incredibly important culturally, and the stigma that surrounds addiction across the country means that a lot of people are scared to ask for help or are shunned for doing so.
Addressing the addiction and treatment gap in India is a social imperative for the country as a whole and must be addressed if addiction issues are to improve and most importantly, if lives are to be saved.
The Current Landscape of Addiction in India
The current addiction landscape across India is getting worse. When it comes to alcohol addiction, approximately 15% of all Indians consume alcohol on a regular basis, with approximately 5% of these being said to be addicted to alcohol.
Cannabis addiction is also on the rise across India, with approximately 3% of all Indians abusing cannabis on a regular basis. However, opioid addiction, which is far more serious deserves the most concern, with 2% of the Indian population abusing the likes of heroin and other pharmaceutical opioids on a regular basis.
When it comes to addiction demographics, as with many other parts of the world, men are statistically more likely to become addicted to drugs than women are across India. In fact, approximately 27% of men versus just 1.5% of women are said to consume alcohol on a regular basis across India.
When it comes to age, people are starting to drink and abuse drugs younger, too. In fact, 75.5% of all individuals who either drink or abuse drugs on a regular basis across India started during childhood.
When it comes to regional demographics, the Northeast of India (including areas such as Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram) have high opioid use compared to the rest of India. Other areas such as Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh are known for high levels of cannabis and alcohol abuse.
As you can see, these statistics highlight how serious the issue of addiction is across India and how the issue of addiction is only going to get worse unless stigmas are broken down and better treatment infrastructure is put in place. This includes better access to both inpatient and outpatient recovery treatment, as well as alcohol home detox centres and aftercare plans.
Access to therapy techniques in India is improving but is nowhere near as common in India as it is in the rest of the world. Access to therapy is more prevalent in areas of India such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Chennai, but less prevalent in more rural areas.
Cultural and Social Barriers to Recovery
Unfortunately, there are a number of barriers when it comes to addiction recovery across India. Societal stigma is the biggest barrier to recovery across India, with most people across India, especially the older generation seeing addiction as a moral failing rather than a disease or medical issue.
1. Honour and reputation
India is a country that takes family honour and reputation very seriously, with social and family ostracism meaning that a lot of people who suffer from addiction issues are reluctant to seek help.
2. Myths and misconceptions
There are a number of myths and misconceptions about addiction that are still prevalent across India. For example, many people across India believe that addiction is a moral failing, rather than a physical disease.
Likewise, many people believe that addiction issues only affect those from a lower socioeconomic background. In India, addiction issues are found both in urban and rural areas, affecting both the poor and affluent.
Finally, a large percentage of people across India still believe that treatment does not work. Lots of people across India fail to understand that addiction recovery is a long process and does not happen overnight. Others fail to understand that relapse is not failure, but part of the long term recovery process and is actually very common.
3. Religion and tradition
There are a number of religions across India, including Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism and Buddhism. Certain substances such as alcohol are generally discouraged amongst some religions such as Hinduism, and certain religions such as Islam strictly prohibit alcohol and drug abuse full stop.
This means that there is a general lack of understanding when it comes to the impact and effect these drugs can have on the body, as well as a lack of understanding when it comes to treatment and recovery for these substances.
The impact that these barriers have on society means that there is a lack of access to treatment across the country, a lack of understanding when it comes to co-occurring mental health issues and a general lack of open conversations regarding addiction.
4. Progress and Positive Developments
Whilst it might seem very negative, there is hope. There are now a number of initiatives being led by NGOs and private sector organisations which provide a number of helplines, rehab programmes and campaigns that are based on improving awareness.
For example, The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has expanded the National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction, which has now funded over 500 rehabilitation centres across India. Likewise, NGOs such as SPYM (Society for Promotion of Youth and Masses) and T.T. Ranganathan Clinical Research Foundation is creating pioneering rehab treatment programmes in both rural and urban parts of India.
Thanks to these initiatives, there is now a slow but growing acceptance of addiction as a medical condition as opposed to a moral failing. Whilst there is still a lot of work to be done when it comes to treatment infrastructure and challenging stigmas, there are great strides being made.
If there is to be sustainable change across India, schools, workplaces, religious organisations and communities need to come together to rid India of negative stereotypes surrounding addiction and put pressure on the Government to put the right funding and policies in place.
Conclusion
There are still a number of societal and cultural barriers to addiction treatment recovery across India, which need to be addressed in recent years if there is to be real change. In the meantime, addiction statistics are getting worse, and lives are being lost.
If you live in India and have the power to make change when addiction treatment is concerned, then make sure to take time to think about what you can do to reduce the stigma surrounding addiction issues within society and your local community.
