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Drug Addiction
A Review by Kartar Singh Goshti
Edited by: Dr (Col) Rajinder Singh
Publisher: The Kalgidhar Trust, Baru Sahib
Pages: 208; Price: Rs 150/- (Edition 2012)
In this significant work “Drug Addiction” edited by Dr Col Rajinder Singh himself a medical practioner, a counsellor and social worker, a religiously imbibed personality, taking addiction as disease, has adopted all the curative processes which a fertile imagination and robust experience can cultivate. Equally the other contributors of no less expertise have given their practical and tried know how to ameliorate the sufferings of the unfortunate addicts.
Drug addiction has become a major public and social health problem. Punjab, presently, is in severe grip of the menace. More than physical it is a mental ailment. It has rightly been taken as disease by the author and has been attacked from medical, psychological, humane and sympathetic view point. Alongwith all this, religious approach, to the problem drawn from Gurbani is worthy choice for addict patients of Punjab.
Easy availability of the drugs like Tobacco, heroin, alcohol, smack etc and abuse thereof by youngsters has added to the enormity of a disastrous trend.
The book is a guide for doctors, counselors and social workers engaged in the fight to kill the demon of addiction. Even if an addict patient is motivated to go through this book it can work wonders.
At page 135, what can be treated as the magna carta of this monumental reading runs, “We have to stop moralizing blaming controlling or smirking at the person with the disease of addiction and start creating opportunities for individuals and families to get help and providing assistance in choosing proper treatment.”
One wonders how with wise choice and hard work all conceivable aspects of the problem have been discussed in this small book and every page, every sentence has a message not to be missed.
One dominant feature prevailing in all the methods medical, social, psychological even religious given as treatment of the addiction disease, is to prepare the addict to accept that he needs help to get rid of the deadly craving for the compulsive drug. We are to build fortitude of the patient to evade the pull of drug. Medical approach to thwart the impact of the drug has immense value but the dominant advice in this book is for humane and sympathetic behaviour towards the patient. The articles written in Punjabi language are useful for the addicts and sympthisers for seeking self help. Good print, lucidity of language, elegant get up and rich contents make this book highly readable and useful. This book is the need of shelfs of every library and desk of the doctor, social worker, and counselor.
Amongst many laurels won by the august Kalgidhar Trust Baru Sahib in the field of service of mankind this book is a white feather in the cap of this noble organisaton.
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©Copyright Institute of Sikh Studies, 2012, All
rights reserved.
