Recovering addicts to play a crucial role in the fight against a drug free society: Renbonthung Tungoe

KOHIMA, JUNE 26: The fight against substance abuse and alcoholism may not necessarily be on a war footing. It can be through our story of recovery, staying true to ourself and bringing people into our fold, stated Renbonthung Tungoe, Project Manager, Kripa Foundation.
He was speaking at the observation of International Day Against drug abuse and illicit trafficking 2022 at Kripa Foundation, Kohima on June 26.
Tungoe said that it’s been almost twenty years since he decided to reclaim his life by leading a clean life after battling years of addiction.
“I’ll be completing twenty years of living a clean life on August 14 this year but every day of the last twenty years has been a journey of struggling to learn the normal way to live a life,” he said.
Speaking to the 30 plus clients currently availing counselling and treatment at the foundation, Tungoe said, “All of us are here because we’ve admitted that we were powerless, we cannot use safely. We all are here because we could not control, we admitted that we are powerless.
Whether it is drug addiction or alcoholism, it’s not only the individual but the family and the particular community that becomes affected across the globe.
As recovering addicts and alcoholics, everyone has their story of moving in and out of rehab and relapsing.
“We go out from the rehab and relapse because we are not going against drug abuse but we go along with them,” he said.
He also encouraged that recovering addicts and alcoholics that they must not feel disheartened and lose their zeal to live since they have already lost their youthful days.
We must not feel discouraged, rather we should feel empowered as we have already seen the darker side of life and now we have to use these experiences on how to make the world a durg fee society, he added.
We are the people who knows the ground reality, and all our actions in life from this moment on must be anchored on the ideals of “How do we contribute toward making our state a drug free state, ” he said.
Pointing that integrating into the society is another crucial element in the path to recovery, Tungoe encouraged the recovering addicts and alcoholics to seize every opportunity to play a leadership role in the society.
(Page News Service)