Workshop on ‘Say No To Drugs’

Chandigarh, March 18, 2023: Centre for Human Rights and Duties in collaboration with National Service Scheme (NSS), Panjab University, Chandigarh organized a workshop on ‘Say No to Drugs’ for the NSS volunteers and students of Panjab University. The programme was coordinated by DrUpneet Kaur Mangat, Chairperson Centre for Human Rights and Duties and Dr Namita Gupta, Dr Naveen Kumar, Dr Manish Sharma and Dr Shankar Sehgal NSS Programme Officers, Panjab University.

Dr. Abhimanyu Rampal, an internationally certified de-addiction counselor and also running a private De- Addiction Center ‘Mehar Foundation’ in Panchkula, Haryana was the main speaker to conduct the workshop. In the workshop he started interacting with students sharing his own life story. He stated that many factors such as relationship with parents, traumatic childhood and going with family’s desire plays an important role in life to become an addict. He narrated that how he started taking drugs in college and got dependent on drugs. He also shared his journey of de-addiction and howhe formed a foundation ‘Mehar Foundation’ in Panchkula which helps people facing substance use disorder. He asserted that it is extremely important to treat addiction like any other disease. It is important to join narcotic/ alcohol anonymous groups for persons dealing with substance abuse. Similarly, there are Al-anon groups to help families of the addicts. Lots of questions were raised by the students related to drug addiction and its cure.Alsl the question were answered by the resource person.