Rise in women addicts seeking treatment

Sumeer Singh

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, April 18

A large number of women drug addicts are coming forward for medication at the drug de-addiction centre in the city. The number of women, who visit the state-run de-addiction centre for treatment, has increased sharply in the past one year.

The data procured from the centre revealed that in 2016, as many as 18 women took treatment while in 2017, the number reached to 165. Besides, three woman addicts were admitted to the centre for treatment in 2017.

Doctors at the centre have attributed the sudden jump to awareness drives and seminars coupled with crackdown on the drugs supply in the past one year.

More than 80 per cent of these women were hooked to tramadol (tablets and injections) and heroin. A majority of the women addicts are from urban areas in the age-group of 20 to 35 years. There are also a sizeable number of addicts who work as farm labourers and consume tramadol tablets. A majority of these women are from rich families.

Dr PD Bansal at the de-addiction centre said, “Apart from rising awareness and strict stance of the state government on drugs, the cost factor may have convinced more women addicts seeking treatment to visit the state-run centre. Getting treatment for drug addiction at private clinics is definitely an expensive affair but at the centre, the addicts get free medicine and treatment.”

Sources in the centre revealed that apart from tramadol and heroin, new cases of addiction where females are hooked to alprax tablets and smoking have also come up lately.

Dr Arun Bansal, a psychiatrist, said, “Apart from girl students and working women, a significant rise in couples hooked to tramadol tablets and intravenous heroin has been witnessed in the past one year. A large number of women from the district have broken the taboo attached to drug addicts by seeking treatment at the government-run de-addiction centre. Women from adjacent districts have also come up for treatment here.”