When Basheer boarded a train to Mumbai in 2003, he was not chasing a job or a new beginning. He was fleeing a life consumed by drugs.
Before leaving, he stole the gold chain of his 40-day-old baby sister to fund the journey. By then, addiction had taken him from smoking cannabis to injecting brown sugar. To sustain his dependence, he had become a drug peddler himself. “I was going crazy. I knew it,” he smiles.
He could no longer remain in his hometown in Malappuram. Mumbai offered no escape either. His addiction worsened and he ended up begging on the streets.
“I had reached a point where there was nothing left,” Basheer recalls. “It was then that I first heard about Narcotics Anonymous.”
More than two decades later, Basheer is among a growing number of recovering addicts in Kerala who credit the fellowship with helping them stay drug-free. Not through medicine or counselling alone, but through shared experiences, mutual support and hope.
Their stories have gained renewed relevance after a recent discussion in the Kerala assembly on strengthening rehabilitation alongside the government’s anti-drug campaign, Operation Toofan.
Thodupuzha MLA Apu John Joseph said in the house that while the state had intensified action against drug peddlers and users, recovery must become an equally important part of the fight against narcotics.
Pointing out that many users eventually become part of the distribution network, he urged the government to help establish Narcotics Anonymous (NA) groups in every district.
Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala responded that the proposal was “a very valid suggestion” and assured the house it would be considered.
“When I spoke to people who had reclaimed their lives through NA in other states, I realised Kerala is one of the few places where the fellowship has not received the attention it deserves,” Apu tells TNIE.
“That is what prompted me to raise the issue in the assembly. Alongside de-addiction treatment, there should also be a structured community support system like NA. Strengthening community-based recovery programmes is an important part of addressing the drug menace.”
For recovering addicts, the proposal acknowledges something they have known for years: arresting users alone rarely breaks the cycle of addiction.
Tushar (name changed), a software engineer who has been “clean” for five years, says society is yet to understand that addiction is akin to a mental health condition.
“NA is not a treatment programme. It is a worldwide fellowship of recovering addicts who meet regularly to help one another remain drug-free,” he explains.
“The meetings are free, voluntary and anonymous. There are no doctors, fees, counsellors or paid facilitators. People can be a part of it for years without spending a single rupee. Members simply share their personal experiences, support newcomers and encourage one another through recovery.”
Tushar adds there are many misconceptions about NA. “It is not an NGO or a religious platform. There is only one requirement for membership — the desire to stop using drugs,” he says.
“Anyone may join us regardless of age, race, sexual identity, creed or religion. Even atheists can join. The ‘God’ referred to in NA is often described as ‘God of your understanding’. Some people interpret it as nature, group energy or even ‘Good Orderly Direction’.”
Politics, he stresses, is also a strict no-no. “Even now, we don’t expect government funding or involvement. The only thing the government can do is to provide a space for meetings and help spread awareness,” he says.
Tushar highlights that people from all walks of life attend meetings together. “Businessmen, doctors, lawyers, auto-rickshaw drivers and college students — there is no class barrier here,” he says.
For Abin (name changed), a longtime NA member, that sense of community arrived much later than he wished.
“When I underwent treatment in 2004, there wasn’t even an official NA group in Kerala,” he says. “Instead, I attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings because that was the only support system available.”
Many of those who sat beside him in those early meetings are no longer alive. “Several died after relapsing into prolonged drug use. Only one or two of them are still alive,” he says.
Today, Abin has remained drug-free for over 17 years. He remembers travelling to Tamil Nadu, Mysuru and Goa to attend NA conventions because there was no organised network in Kerala. It was only in 2011 that a dedicated NA group was started in Kozhikode. Meetings, which shifted online during the pandemic, are now held in person every Sunday.
“I thought I could never stop using drugs,” he says. “My life had collapsed mentally, physically and financially. But when I met others who had gone through the same struggles and recovered, I realised I wasn’t alone.”
Looking back, Abin says his addiction did not begin with hard drugs. “I started smoking in Class 7. Friends cheered and I felt accepted. Later, drugs became an escape from questions about life that I didn’t know how to answer. Drugs became my crutches. I struggled to walk once I quit it. That’s where the NA fellowship helped — to stand back on my feet again.”
He now notices striking similarities in the stories of newcomers attending NA meetings. “Many of us grew up with feelings of rejection, low self-esteem or emotional pain. The backgrounds may differ, but the experiences are often the same,” he says.
For Nithin (name changed), recovery remains a daily process rather than a destination. He says trauma, untreated mental health issues and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder shaped his struggle with substance abuse from the age of 16. What began with cigarettes progressed to cannabis and eventually synthetic drugs.
“I always thought rehabilitation would solve everything,” he says. “But even after rehab, the cravings didn’t disappear.” The easy availability of drugs often led him to replace one substance with another.
“When I tried to stop one drug, another would come into my life. That’s when I understood recovery needs continuous support.”
He found that support in NA. “The biggest strength of NA is listening to other people’s stories. When someone describes emotions you’ve lived through yourself, you begin to believe recovery is possible,” he says.
“Only another addict truly understands what another addict is going through. Families may love and support us, but they cannot fully grasp how excruciating withdrawal symptoms can be or how addiction tricks the mind into remembering only the high while erasing the pain it caused.
When someone in recovery speaks about those same thoughts, you realise you are not alone.”
He says the fellowship has also helped reduce his dependence on mobile phones and distance himself from friends who continued using drugs.
“Society still sees me as a drug addict. But in NA, people don’t judge me. They call, check on me and genuinely care whether I remain clean,” he smiles.
Welcoming the discussion on NA in the assembly, psychiatrist Dr Arun B Nair says people recovering from addiction often face peer pressure or emotional distress, both of which can trigger relapse.
“NA can play an important role in rehabilitation. It brings together people who have gone through similar struggles with addiction,” he says.
“Through their meetings, they learn practical ways to cope with peer pressure and emotional distress, and develop healthier responses to challenges.”
Dr Arun adds that when a person who has overcome addiction helps another individual recover, it gives their life a renewed sense of purpose and fulfilment.
“Someone once seen as a burden by their family and society becomes a person helping others.
That transformation restores dignity, earns respect within the family and community, and significantly improves self-esteem,” he notes.
“In that sense, the process benefits both the individual receiving support and the one offering it.”
Basheer echoes the same belief. “NA doesn’t preach or lecture anyone,” he says.
“People simply share what addiction did to their lives and how they recovered. Newcomers are treated as the most important person in the room. Thereon, recovery becomes a lifelong commitment.”
For Basheer, that journey began not in a courtroom or a rehabilitation centre, but in a small gathering of strangers who introduced themselves with the same words: “I am a recovering addict.”
More than two decades later, he still walks into those meetings — not because he has forgotten his past, but because he never wants to return to it.
NA helplines: 87714466814 / 7845725778 / 9880590059.
Note: NA is not an alternative to medical attention and advice.