Forging the high road to sobriety in Andhra Pradesh

Engaged in a profound battle of desire and despair for nearly a decade, 23-year-old Gnanendra often gets overwhelmed by the craving to escape pain, anxiety and trauma caused by his addiction to narcotic drugs and pornography.

“A strong urge to go back to drugs overshadows the fleeting moments of clarity that surface when I recognise the need to change,” Gnanendra says, taking long pauses as he shares his tale of vulnerability and weariness.

Sitting on a chair in front of a window overlooking the lush green lawn of Indla’s Shantivan, a rehabilitation and de-addiction centre nestled at Nunna, a suburb of Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh, Gnanendra recounts his first encounter with drugs when he was only a 9^th Class student.

“It was in the volleyball ground near home where seniors initiated me into it. I began smoking cigarettes but quickly moved on to drugs, and before long, I was addicted to the high,” he recalls.

Multiple experiences of running away from the law enforcers from secluded designated spots to consume drugs have left him with a heightened sensitivity to noise or touch.

“I am continuously paranoid about the police watching me all the time. I fear they may catch me at any moment,” he says as his eyes widen and his lips quiver.

Overcoming an unease that crept in as he began to look back, this young man from Annavaram, says his father, an agriculturist, died five years ago.

As the brewing anxiety began to show in his popped-up veins near his temples and eyes, Gnanendra painfully confessed that he was not of any help to his mother and younger sister after the loss as his severe addiction consumed him.

His grandfather’s attempt to cure him by sending him to a rehab centre in Visakhapatnam for six months against his will went in vain as he relapsed into concurrent aggression and unusual silence after his return.

Today, amid damaged relationships, deteriorating health and loss of personal goals, he says a painful awareness of the consequences has led him to Indla’s Shantivan.

“This time, it’s a different story because I am here on my own, and I am giving it my best shot,” he says.

Fuel to fire

Addiction to drugs and porn can have an exacerbating effect on the victims. While some use drugs to cope with feelings of guilt or anxiety that arise out of watching pornography, others turn into drug abusers to get an enhanced experience of pornography or manage the emotional fallout caused by viewing the content, says Vishal Indla,psychiatrist and Director of Indlas Hospitals which runs the Indla’s Shantivan.

Many times, the cascading effect of these addictions can result in their criminal behaviour. Dr. Vishal observes that individuals involved in violent crimes often have a background of substance abuse, particularly alcohol or cannabis.

One such victim of drug abuse and violence is Manikantha, a 25-year-old lawyer. Recuperating fast at Indla’s Shantivan, he says he turned to cannabis when he was 17 years old to gain an advantage in the fierce group clashes in his college in Vijayawada.

“The other group almost always won the fight. Someone told me that they were high on cannabis. So, I had decided to make it a level playing field,” he says.

His eyes become narrow as he recollects the events that led him into a life of darkness, the shadows of which haunt him even today.

“Before I could realise it, I was using substances to cope with conflicts and stress. I used cannabis and alcohol intermittently. Initially, it was occasional, but over time, the usage became more frequent and problematic,” he says. “The breakup with my girlfriend at a time when I was struggling to cope with the addiction drove me deeper into the abyss,” says Manikantha. A series of setbacks followed, including legal issues and a strained relationship with his family, he adds.

The strong-willed young man exudes determination insisting that he is on the path to sobriety, although it may be riddled by many highs and lows. “I am prepared for the challenges that come with it (deaddiction treatment), and I’ll address them effectively to make a positive difference to people around me,” he says.

Gory side of obscenity

The brutal impact of continuous exposure to pornographic content on young minds and society at large is reflected in the rise of sexual crimes, say experts.

One such crime that shook the conscience of Andhra Pradesh recently was the case of three schoolboys who raped and murdered an eight-year-old girl they spotted playing in a park near her house on a Sunday in July this year at Mucchumarri in Nandyal district. The boys lured her to an isolated spot and committed the crime.

It was learnt that the boys killed her for fear of getting arrested and, with the help of one of their relatives, tossed her body into a nearby canal.

The police say the boys had confessed to the crime and that they had watched porn videos on mobile phones and tried to recreate the assault on the girl.

Not long after surfaced yet another case of a 40-year-old man who sexually assaulted his six-month-old niece in Vizianagaram district.

Expressing grave concern over the rapid normalisation of teens leading a life of depravity and debauchery, Keerthy Bollineni, president of Vasavya Mahila Mandali, an organisation working for women empowerment and social change, says, “There is a dire need for collective and corrective measures. Immediate action is imperative in the wake of horrific incidents like the gang rape and murder of the minor schoolgirl,” she says.

Atrocious realms of cyberspace

Andhra Pradesh, like the rest of the world, is waking up to new lows in crime against women and children in cyberspace. Blackmail, threats, cyberpornography, and publishing of obscene sexual content are commonplace, while stalking, bullying, defamation, morphing and establishing fake profiles are ill practices on the rise, indicate the Sate’s cyber police records.

Recently, an engineering college campus near Vijayawadaerupted in protests by furious female students who claimed that hidden cameras were installed in their hostel washrooms. They also alleged that videos were circulated among college students and outsiders.

“I ran outside my room bare feet and saw panic spread in whispers as other girls emerged from their rooms, their faces contorted with worry,” a final-year girl recounts the tense moments. “My friend looked petrified and said she had heard something terrible and asked me if someone was playing a joke on us,” she says. Her friends join in to describe how panic spread like wildfire, and muffled voices and anxious murmurs filled the campus as girls huddled closer together, wrapping their arms around and trying to comfort each other.

Amidst vociferous protests by students, the police intervened. They seized the electronic devices of a girl and a boy from the final year and a few others allegedly responsible for the incident. Later, the police said no incriminating evidence was found to prove that cameras were installed in the girls’ washrooms. The loud voices of protests sank heavily as abruptly as they had surfaced.

Call for collective action

“It’s not just about sex education anymore. It’s time we started educating about sexuality and healthy relationships. Sexuality is different from sex education. It’s important that parents have a discussion with their children about this key aspect,” Dr. Vishal underscores.

To tackle the menace effectively, the Andhra Pradesh police have scaled up efforts to address cybercrimes against women and children. The Union government recently recognised the Andhra Pradesh for its outstanding performance on the first foundation day of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (14C).

Speaking about critical issues related to Child Pornography (CP), Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) and Rape and Gang Rape (RGR), Superintendent of Police, Women Protection Cell, CID, K.G.V. Saritha says the CP/CSAM/RGR portal has been pivotal in State’s enforcement efforts.

Ms. Saritha, along with the Additional Director General of Police A. Ravi Shankar, handles the portal. Her role entails monitoring and verifying CSAM tip lines, downloading relevant information, and forwarding them to the respective district Superintendents of Police for case registration and action.

“So far, we have received 15,777 tip lines on Child Sexual Abuse Material on the government cybercrime portal and acted upon 11,350 of them. As a result, we registered 317 FIRs, the highest in the country”K.G.V. Saritha Superintendent of Police, Women Protection Cell, CID

“So far, we have received 15,777 tip lines on Child Sexual Abuse Material on the government cybercrime portal and acted upon 11,350 of them. As a result, we registered 317 FIRs, the highest in the country,” she says.

“The State police have made 689 arrests under Section 67B of the IT Act and Section 14 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, with 106 cases charge-sheeted so far and trials have commenced in 38 cases,” informs Ms. Saritha, adding that the districts of NTR, Kakinada, Krishna, Tirupati and Srikakulam have seen the highest number of case registrations, with 23, 22, 21, 19 and 19 cases respectively.

“It is disconcerting to see young children either falling prey to pornography-related crimes or taking to viewing such explicit content at a tender age,” she says and advises the teens and tweens to know the difference between true happiness and transitory pleasure.

A chance at life

At Indla’s Shantivan, the burgeoning crowd reflects a minor component of a colossal war the government of Andhra Pradesh is waging against the growing menace of drug abuse, particularly among teenagers and young adults.

Santosh, 20, blankly stares into the void when asked about his cannabis addiction. Regretting the moment when he first smoked the weed, mistaking it for a cigarette, he says: “I was 15 when my friends offered me a cigarette and insisted that a few puffs wouldn’t harm. After consuming it, I felt incredibly high and insanely hungry.”

Soon, he wilfully started smoking a joint or hitting a bong frequently. What started with the experimental use of a recreational drug soon got the better of him, and as time passed, he craved larger doses of the drug. “A time came when I needed the drug just to feel normal, and as the usage increased, it became more difficult to go without it,” he says in a monotone.

Santosh was detained for poor attendance while pursuing an engineering course at a Vijayawada college. “I was under the influence of drugs most of the time and struggled with anxiety, memory problems and mood swings,” he says.

To come back to normal life, he moved to Visakhapatnam, where he enrolled into a course in hotel management. But his plans went awry when he found that his new friends were also into substance abuse. His family came to know about this well-kept secret when he was caught in possession of drugs by the police during the summer holidays when he came to Vijayawada to spend time with them. He was sent to the Rajamahendravaram jail for 38 days.

“This is my last chance at life,” Santosh murmurs, as senior psychologist and Shantivan in charge, Dr. Martin Raj, explains that he is now engaging in new, positive activities to build a new routine and a new hope in him to overcome the addiction and join his family soon.

Towards a panacea

Meanwhile, to tackle the menace head-on, the Andhra Pradesh government is constituting an Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF). “The work is in progress, and we see the new body as an effective means of finding a panacea to the growing problem,” says the Director General of Police Ch. Dwaraka Tirumala Rao.

The data available from the State police department speaks volumes about the enormity of the issue of drug abuse. From 2020 to July 2024, 25,921 peddlers involved in the illegal transportation and sale of cannabis and other narcotic drugs were identified across the country. Of the 22,047 arrested, 16,262 were from Andhra Pradesh alone, while 5,785 were from other States. As many as 3,874 are absconding; 2,116 are from Andhra Pradesh, and 1,758 are from other States.

Cannabis is reportedly smuggled out of Andhra Pradesh to other States and neighbouring countries like Nepal and Sri Lanka. Officials admit that weed is grown on a large scale along the Andhra-Odisha Border (AOB) in districts like Malkangiri, Koraput, Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram, where local residents, mainly tribal people, are lured by smugglers into cultivating hemp for hefty returns.

Through determined efforts, the government seeks to check the cultivation, smuggling, and consumption of cannabis and the illegal drug business. In a recent white paper on Law and Order, the government admitted that there has been a 122% spurt in cannabis cases, from 2,948 in 2014-18 to 6,560 in 2019-23 in the State.

“We are looking into the source of every case and see if there are repeat offenders. We have figured out a few important leads, and there will be action on them,” said Mr. Tirumala Rao.

(Names of all victims changed to protect identity)