Hard line of religion used to treat addiction

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

It was not a pretty picture: A shabby little mosque in a dark alley, filled with puddles of mud because of the heavy rain, with a foul odor emanating from the nearby river and traditional market.

Passing through the curved hole in the wall of an entrance, the sight inside was even more disturbing, with several men chained to poles on the mosque's verandah.

"Some are mentally ill, some are drug addicts," said Ridwan, 57, a religious teacher and "manager" of the Nurul Alam mosque in the Pedongkelan slum in North Jakarta -- notorious as a place for prostitutes, the homeless and criminals.

He denied that chaining the addicts was inhumane, and argued it was to ensure their proper supervision.

"It's actually inhumane if we set them free. The biggest obstacle for the addicts is their circle of friends, which will cause a relapse. A drug addict can be very destructive, they are no longer human," said the small man in between chess games and cigarettes.

So, chained they are, their heads shaved cleans and given saline solution to detoxify the body. The main focus is doing various religious activities, including communal praying, Koran reciting, sermons and religious retreats to other towns or province.

The most severe cases of addiction will be put into a one meter by one meter box to "contemplate, know their self and their enemies".

"They are told to have faith. All of those problems are rooted in a crisis in faith. People don't know about belief, sin ..."

In a country where religious values are brought in to many issues -- from the gyrating dance of dangdut singer Inul Daratista (sinful) to karaoke and ballroom dancing programs on local television (inappropriate) -- it is no wonder that people also turn to religion to treat drug addiction.

The oldest and most prominent institution running such a rehabilitation program is probably the Inabah teenage dormitory owned by Pesantren Suryalaya school of Koranic Studies in Tasikmalaya, West Java.

Established almost a century ago, the school started its drug rehabilitation program in 1970 and now has expanded to 19 centers all over the country.

The method is said to be taken from the Holy Koran which includes continual praying and taking a shower up to three times a day -- one in the middle of the night.

It is reported that up to 10,000 troubled teens have been treated in the dorm, with the success percentage said to be 90 percent.

Aside from Inabah, there are plenty of other schools all over the country offering a religious approach, for instance one in Bogor, West Java, owned by Muslim cleric Toto Tasmara.

Within Christian communities, prominent names include the Doulos Foundation owned by the leader of the Prosperous Peace Party (PDS) Ruyandi Hutasoit; Rumah Anak Panah rehabilitation center and Yayasan Anak Domba Allah (Lamb of God Foundation).

Father Johannes "Hanny" Osbourne Repi acknowledged that the religious approach can be a selling point for a drug rehabilitation center.

"Especially for parents, because of the security, faith and belief," said Hanny, who in 2001 was among the recipients of the National Figure of Drugs Awareness.

"We don't impose our beliefs, though, we just give them the picture. But in fact, miracles have occurred (in the treatment)."

Mere religious teaching, however, is not enough, Hanny said, as it has to be integrated with medical treatment, social activities and family counseling.

"Right now, however, we're more focused on an aftercare program and monitoring our clients -- we call them students, so that there will not be cases of relapse. It is important, because even those who have been clean for four years can go back to drugs," said Hanny at his office on Jl. Kran V No. 3 in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.

Except at Nurul Alam, located at Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan No. 1, the religious approach does not come for free.

Hanny charges Rp 2.5 million a month for the full 14-month program. On average, Rp 2.5 million to Rp 5 million is the fee charged by Islamic schools and other rehabilitation centers.

The Inabah dorm, meanwhile, charges Rp 50,000 a day.

"I give a cross subsidy for poor clients. However, many families pretend to be poor, perhaps because they have spent so much money to treat the drug addict," said Hanny.

Others contend that it takes more than religious teachings to completely wean drug addicts off their habit.

According to AIDS activist Nafsiah Mboi, whether the religious route works depends on the addicts' personalities and level of addiction.

"The higher the level, the more difficult it is to be treated, because there have been some changes in the brain. They easily miss the drugs, and if they come back to their fellow addicts, it easy to relapse," she said.

The religious approach will also not work if it is punitive and brands the addict a mere sinner, making them even more discouraged and depressed.

The important thing, she added, was a supportive environment.

Meanwhile, Ridwan from Nurul Alam mosque said the power of continual prayer was a way to teach orderliness, something that the addicts lose due to drug consumption.

"Prayer teaches discipline, order. We ask them to do pilgrimages, to get more insight into life, which is impossible to pursue by just staying home," said the elementary school graduate.

From the addicts' point of view, determination is most important in getting clean and staying that way.

Hafid Kurnia, 26, has been in and out of rehabilitation centers and hospitals ever since he started using drugs in 1996.

"I was sent to an Islamic school in Pekalongan (Central Java) which also focuses on prayer and dzikir (chanting God's name). But I managed to run away," said Hafid.

He added that Nurul Alam worked for him because it was run in a familiar way. But there is still a long way to go for Hafid, as he has only been treated for five months.

The real danger waits on the outside, and falling may into the abyss of addiction may cost him and millions of other young people their lives.