"I am role Model"

My name is Sanjay Singh, I am 24 years and I live in Birgunj. I come from middle class family. During my child hood, I had bad behaviours like quarrelling with people both in school and at home. For this reason therefore I could not continue with studies.

Gradually I was attracted to drug use through my peers. Slowly I started with Tobacco and Cigarette and later progressed to Hashish and Marijuana and this is the time I had fallen in love with some girl whom I loved so much. I eventually became a drug addict and once I was taken to police and imprisoned for one year for having found looting someone’s property. On my return I found the girl that I had loved so much had been married to another man and shocked me a lot. That is when I started using brown sugar and because it became expensive for me to sustain, I started using TT (Tidigesic). I Used to get money for drugs by Through smuggling, through grabbing someone or through or trough forcefully asking people for money and getting it by hook or crook.

Through BIJAM’s drug treatment outreach program with the support of my best friend who had quitted drug use, I was approached to visit the drop in Centre (DIC) for the drug treatment services like counselling. From that day, I started visiting DIC and I convinced my other friends to join me. I was also enrolled as a peer educator amongst IDUs. By that time I used to cross border and work in India. However my drug use behaviour continued until when I once came in contact with one person who I knew previously as a drug user but had quitted drug use through undergoing treatment at BIJAM’s treatment centre. I was impressed by his looks and positive behaviour and he encouraged me to go for treatment at the drug treatment center.

Being a Ex-user, I have now decided to be a role model and inspiration for those who are addicted to drugs. I feel very honoured to work with BIJAM a social Organisation as a peer educator previously and now as a community outreach worker in the harm reduction program. I am committed to the positive behaviour that I adopted and very optimistic that I will be able to sustain it. I was given drug treatment and now I am free from drugs and behave responsibly. It is now over twenty three months and I have never thought of taking drugs again.