Agony of Families Caught in the Grip of Addiction
Srinagar: Fehmeeda (name changed), a cancer-stricken mother from Dalgate is battling not only her illness but also the harsh blows inflicted by her own son under the influence of drugs. In the dim glow of her tear-streaked face, Fehmeeda's eyes mirror the silent storms raging within.
“He doesn't give a damn about who I am, always remains high on drugs, goes insane, and beats and abuses me. I am battling with cancer and spend my monthly salary of Rs 9000 on my treatment. My son treats me badly rather than showing sympathy for his sick mother,” Fehmeeda said in a video that went viral on social media.
Despite filing a report against my son at the concerned police station, she said that the authorities outrightly refused to take any action, saying 'there was nothing they could do about a drug addict.'
“What happens if he murders me or injures me? Several accounts of sons in the valley killing their mothers have surfaced over the years. Who will be responsible, if the police act as a mute spectator? He fractured my arm this morning and doused my back with scalding tea. To satisfy his drug craving, he also took my phone and other belongings,” she added.
Fehmeeda’s heart-wrenching story is just one among the many “ticking time bombs” – chronic drug abusers – whose aggressive tendencies rupture the very fabric of familial bonds.
Experts claimed that drug abusers emotionally mistreat people around them since they put too much emphasis on drugs. Long-term substance abuse can lead to several mental illnesses such as bi-polar disorder or schizophrenia in victims, which can cause them to act violently against themselves or those around them, they added.
"The close family members are constantly at risk because the abuser may attack them under the severe influence of drugs, or may become violent out of a desire for money or craving for drugs,” Dr Fazl-eRoub, DM Addiction