You could be a professor, male or female, black, brown or white... addiction does not discriminate
CITY MAN MAKES FILM ABOUT HIS ALCOHOLISM, IN HOPE OF GETTING CONVERSATIONS GOING ABOUT THE OFTEN TABOO SUBJECT AND TO STRESS THAT SUPPORT IS THERE
ALCOHOLISM and addiction is a sensitive subject for anyone to speak out about, but it is an especially taboo topic in the South Asian community.
However, one Leicester man has been brave enough to tell his story - and turn it into a film.
IT worker Jit Chauhan, 48, was an alcoholic. After seven years of sobriety, he is finally ready to tell his story.
I’m Jit and I’m an Alcoholic is a short documentary-style film which details his journey through alcohol dependency and recovery.
“I started drinking when I was 15 with the family but it was between the ages of 31 and 41 that were the worst years for me. It was a 10-year period of heavy drinking,” said Jit.
“I was weary going to social events because I knew that they’d cause my drinking to spiral. I’d disappear from my family and friends, whole weeks were spent just drinking and doing drugs on my own.
“Some days I’d sleep with a knife next to my pillow, just wanting to end it all. Other days I’d wake up on a park bench,” he added.
“My rock bottom was a fourweek episode of drinking and doing drugs. I’d drink at least a litre bottle of whiskey in a day and that’s not including other alcoholic drinks I was consuming, like beer.
“I was dependent on alcohol. Any minor issue, even something as small as stubbing my toe, I’d turn to drink.
“Mentally, I didn’t have control over anything.
“Alcohol makes you feel good in the moment, but ultimately it was affecting my health and my livelihood.”
I’m Jit and I’m an Alcoholic deals with sensitive themes of addiction, his fight with suicidal ideations and his deteriorating mental health - but also his recovery.
Viewers are introduced to some of Jit’s friends and family members, who also tell of the impact of his addiction and their roles in helping him overcome alcoholism.
Jit spoke to the Mercury about the taboos of addiction in the South Asian community and his hopes of the film starting a dialogue to address such stigmas.
“I’d been thinking about making the film for a while, especially during lockdown,” he said.
“I knew I needed to do something for the South Asian community, because there are struggles there that no one wants to talk about.
“I wanted to get my story out because I’ve been at the bottom of the barrel but have been able to turn my life around through my company 7 events, and I knew that if people could see such a transformation, they would see it’s possible for them.
“But my story is not exclusive to the South Asian community. “I would say the Black and ethnic minority community can relate to it in a big way because of the taboos that they face surrounding certain subjects such as mental health and addiction.
“For me, I wanted to do something positive for us,
Some days I’d sleep with a knife next to my pillow, just wanting to end it all. Other days I’d wake up on a park bench
which could potentially help someone. If I can help even one person through my story then I’ve done my job.”
I’m Jit and I’m an Alcoholic has not been released generally. Instead, special screenings have been held online and in the community.
Jit said: “We opted to take the film to community centres instead and do Zoom screenings followed by Q&A sessions, which have been a lot more powerful, because it gave people a platform to talk about stuff they probably wouldn’t have in a normal conversation.
“We want to take the film to schools and colleges, and we are also trying to encourage community centres and places of worship to screen the film as well.
“I want people to know that it is okay to talk and it’s also okay to have an issue. There is help and support services out there.
“I want viewers to have hope that they can turn their life around if faced with the same issues as me because I’ve done it and I want people to see the impact that such addictions can have on families and friends.
“With that being said, I want viewers to see that it is okay to speak to loved ones about what they are going through, just as I was able to in the film.
“Making such topics a taboo or stigmatising someone because of what they’ve gone through is not going to help them or their families.
“The community needs to do a bit more about having these conversations because this is the reality of some people’s lives.
“Addiction does not discriminate. You could be a professor, male or female, black, brown or white but whatever community you are from, it can affect you.
“The sooner we normalise this and get the right help for the right people, the sooner we can make it easier for friends and family of addicts.”
Producing the film came with its fair share of challenges, but Jit saw the experience as a rewarding one.
He said: “Having conversations with my mum and reliving what I went through after seven years was definitely challenging.
“Talking about some of the stuff I’d done in the past was quite painful especially because this was the first time I was opening up about it again. However, I see the whole experience as a positive.
“Apart from close friends and family, no one knew that I had previously suffered from addiction. So making the film was like a sigh of relief for me, a weight on my shoulders that I’d carried for so long.”
A screening of the movie is set to take place at the Guru Tegh Bahadur Gurudwara, in East Park Road, Leicester, on June 18.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction, visit the 7 Events website: