HERAT CITY (Pajhwok): Some recovered drug addicts in western Herat province, highlighting the harmful consequences of narcotics, have urged young people to stay away from drugs.
Meanwhile, officials of the Counter-Narcotics Department say 40,000 people have returned to normal life after receiving treatment during the past four years.
Mawlavi Hayatullah Rohani, head of the Counter-Narcotics Department at the Herat police command, said around 40,000 people had undergone treatment at rehabilitation centres in the province since the re-establishment of Islamic Emirate.
He said facilities including food, clothing and healthcare services were provided to addicts alongside treatment in an effort to create suitable conditions for their recovery.
Rohani added vocational training programmes had also been launched for patients so they could acquire skills and reintegrate into the labour market and normal life after rehabilitation.
He said the process of collecting and treating addicts was ongoing, noting that more than 200 people had reunited with their families after completing treatment at a rehabilitation centre in Herat City a day earlier.
Recovered addicts urge youth to avoid drugs
Khair Mohammad, a resident of Adraskan district and a recovered addict, urged young people to stay away from narcotics.
“Addiction is destructive; never go towards it. Addiction not only harms health, but also affects people’s future and personality,” he said.
Similarly, Ghulam Nabi, who spent three months at a drug rehabilitation centre in Herat, said he had previously worked as a motorcycle mechanic and further improved his vocational skills during treatment.
Expressing happiness over his improved health, he said he hoped to begin a new chapter in life and pledged never to return to drug use.
He also urged other young people: “Never turn to drugs; they destroy lives and ruin a person’s future.”
Officials of the Herat Counter-Narcotics Department say thousands of people have returned to normal life since the start of the rehabilitation programme, while support initiatives for their reintegration into society continue.
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