Drugs are easy come, hard to stop, ex-addicts reveals

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Former drug addicts admit that they easily became dependent on drugs, but found it extremely difficult to get free of the strong grip of addiction.

Astana, 22, not his real name, an ex-drug addict, revealed that when he was in third year of secondary school his girlfriend introduced him to drugs.

"My ex-girlfriend and her friends kept insisting that I try drugs. Eventually, I gave into the pressure," said Astana.

Drug abuse is rampant among students as drugs are readily available from other students, Astana said.

According to a survey by anti-drugs foundation Yayasan Cinta Anak Bangsa, nine of every 100 students admit they have taken drugs.

Astana revealed that he used to sell drugs to other students, and could earn more than Rp 2 million (US$105) a day doing so.

But Astana stopped selling drugs when his addiction to shabu- shabu (crystal methamphetamine) led him to use all of his stock. He took drugs for more than four years.

And even after one and a half years of quitting, he is still consumed by paranoia whenever he finds himself in the middle of a crowd.

"I feel like I'm being followed by someone. That really scares me," he said, adding that the feeling is usually accompanied by tremors, an upset feeling and irregular heartbeat.

Astana has been in a rehabilitation program four times and once at an Islamic boarding school. But all ended up being to no avail as he had an immediate relapse once he finished the programs.

Just like Astana, Krismas Timang, 23, an ex-drug addict, said he found it hard to stop taking drugs. He started using putaw (low-grade heroin) in his last year of secondary school.

Timang said he initially took drugs with a group of friends. "But when my craving for drugs reached its height, I bought and took it for myself alone. I could take a half gram of putaw a day, costing Rp 160,000."

The grip of addiction, Timang said, was sometimes too strong and it led him to do reckless things.

At times, he stole family members' money and sold their belongings, including the TV set.

"I even pawned my Kijang van for Rp 50,000 to a drug dealer as my craving (for drugs) was unbearable," Timang said. "When my parents asked, I told them I had pawned it for Rp 200,000 (and they gave me the money to buy it back) so I got an extra Rp 150,000 to buy drugs."

Timang, who stopped taking drugs two and a half years ago, also described the painful agony of fighting the craving for drugs, which terrifies most drug addicts.

"Such pain followed by a strong desire to take drugs again is the main cause of a relapse," Timang said.

Besides, impatient as well as over-watchful family members and friends, he said, could easily upset the already unstable recovering addict.

Timang said family members could shout or knock loudly on the bedroom door when an addict locked the door for too long.

"Addicts should look at it positively as it is natural that their families watch over them. They must accept reality that they are ex-addicts, and become accustomed to the feeling," he said.

Timang now works as a volunteer in a drug rehabilitation center in Pekayon, Bekasi.

Timang bemoans the fact that drugs took the golden years of his youth. "I failed to enjoy my years in high school because I was expelled," said Timang, who later graduated from another high school.

Due to his addiction, Timang also missed law classes at a private university at which he was enrolled.

Timang plans to one day to study psychology at the University of Indonesia.

Citing the desperate battle to kick the habit, both Astana and Timang agreed that drug abuse prevention was much better than cure. And it's far cheaper.