Abdullah Al-Dani Okaz/Saudi Gazette MAKKAH – A young man who has successfully battled a long-term drug addiction has spoken of his dream of kicking the habit and building a new life. Okaz/Saudi Gazette met Abu Yusuf at a Haj camp devoted to those who recovered from drug abuse. “I experienced a miserable life engulfed by despair, fear and anxiety. But now I feel I'm a different person filled with hope and ambition,” he said. “Before going into rehab, I used to feel that I was a lost person without hopes or goals in life. “My highest goal in my life was to get high. As a human being I was ragged and broken inside. “I was homeless. I used to roam the streets aimlessly.” Referring to the journey of his recovery, Abu Yusuf said he used to watch the addicts who visited Amal Hospital. He said these people gave him hope. “Believe it or not, I was treated by an addict. I started getting hooked when I was 16, after my classmate introduced me to drugs.” He said at the beginning of his treatment he was stigmatized by the community, which affected him mentally. “But I eventually overcame these negative feelings and became determined more than ever to continue my treatment,” Abu Yusuf said. As he continued rehab he started overcoming his addiction, he said, adding that this gave him more confidence and he visited his family after several years. He said his family members gave him a cool reception, but when they noticed that he had changed for the better they started treating him kindly. Eventually he had the full support of his family and relatives, helping his recovery and integration into society. He added that he would never go back to those gloomy days. Another drug addict, M.O. who is 32, said he was admitted 11 times to Amal Hospital before he overcame his drug addiction. He said his determination to kick this habit enabled him to start a new life. He said: “The realization that I was living in a sad and bitter reality helped me very much to continue the treatment.” He praised the significant role played by his mother, saying without her he would have not recovered. He said at the beginning he was very reluctant to receive treatment at Amal Hospital, as he mistakenly thought that only mentally-ill people were treated there. He said he was afraid of being stigmatized. He warned of the dangers of befriending the wrong people, saying his own friends dragged him into the abyss of drugs. Yusuf Al-Yusuf, Director of the Continuous Care Center at the Anti-Drug Directorate in Dammam, said the Haj campaign devoted to those who recovered from substance addiction involved 150 former drug addicts. He said Prince Ahmad Bin Abdul Aziz, Minister of Interior, and Prince Muhammad Bin Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Assistant Minister of Interior for Security Affairs, have supported the campaign morally and financially. He said one of the major objectives of the campaign is to help the former addicts integrate into society besides helping them to start a new life. He said the pilgrimage injected a new lease of life into them, especially as most of them performed Haj for the first time in their lives. He added they have been praying to Allah to accept their repentance and put them on the right path.
