Getting AHEAD:

Moving On From Drug Addiction In Madurai Province

On 22 May 1982, Fr Giuseppe Pittau SJ read out the ‘final testament’ of Pedro Arrupe: ‘To my spiritual sons, I bequeath the young manipulated by drugs.’ Jesuit Missions’ Lucy Gillingham spoke to Fr Francis Jayapathy SJ about how Fr Arrupe’s bequest is being honoured by the Jesuits of India’s Madurai Province.

Jesuit Missions has a long history of partnership with the Jesuit Province of Madurai in Tamil Nadu, the oldest and largest province in India. In 2021, Jesuit Missions supported the province in its response to the Covid-19 pandemic with funds, food baskets and medicines for 1,000 marginalised families during lockdown. In the context of the pandemic, the Jesuits in Madurai Province became increasingly aware that addiction had become more widespread in a state which already had the highest rates of addiction in India. The issue is particularly pronounced among young people. Jesuit Missions is now supporting a three-year project with the Arrupe Health Enclave for Alcohol and Drug Dependents (AHEAD), to fight what its director, Fr Francis Jayapathy SJ, describes as a disease afflicting youth.

Fr Francis notes that each period of history is characterised by a particular disease. In Jesus’s time, it was leprosy. In the Middle Ages, plague became a defining factor. During the Industrial Revolution, consumption. In the contemporary period, coronavirus is the focus. According to the World Health Organisation, addiction to alcohol and drugs contributes to some 3 million or 5.3% of deaths annually worldwide. This is roughly similar to the estimated number of deaths from Covid-19 in 2020. Yet, Fr Francis emphasises that addiction is not being seen as a pandemic. The Jesuits of Madurai have recognised this as a disease which has a particularly detrimental impact on society. Determined to do something, the Jesuit Ministry to Alcohol and Drug Dependents (JMAADD) came into existence in 2006.

The aims of this ministry are:

• To increase awareness.

• To facilitate treatment of addicts.

• To provide support to addicts and their co-dependents.

JMAADD and its outreach work through AHEAD has served more than 6,500 families, providing them with information, support and hope to combat drug addiction, which not only affects the victims but also their families and friends. The treatment and recovery programme offered by AHEAD is grounded in Ignatian Spirituality. The twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, which are a key part of the approach, have a great affinity with the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius. The dynamics of the programme at AHEAD move the patient from a self-knowledge to a deep and personal knowledge of the creator in a truly Ignatian way.

Fr Francis is clear that the battle is not over, saying: ‘We have many more miles to go if we are to make some meaningful impact.’ In the last four years, it has become increasingly evident that addiction among young people has increased at an alarming rate. Marijuana has overtaken alcohol as the drug of choice among young people. Around 10% of the drugs which flow into the state of Tamil Nadu, especially marijuana, are supplied to college and university students. The problem is recognised by the government, educators and the media. In the last few years the government of India has launched a campaign, Nasha Mukt Abiyaan (‘Drug Free India’).

Fr Francis is clear that the problem of increasing addiction among young people in Tamil Nadu is best addressed by creating mass awareness of it. However, while most people who work with youth agree that the problem exists and is increasing exponentially, there is very little hard data on hand to initiate any action plans. Very few educational institutions in the country have policies in place on substance abuse.

Only a handful of schools and colleges have trained staff to identify those who may have problems, or the means to provide professional support. Typically, students who have drug problems are either suspended or dismissed from school or university. Counselling or rehabilitation is seldom available.

The patient moves from a self-knowledge to a deep and personal knowledge of the creator in a truly Ignatian way.

In response to this situation, the project developed by AHEAD provides support for educators across the state, providing discussion of issues and up-to-date facts and figures on addiction and rehabilitation. As a Jesuit organisation in a province with more than twenty educational centres, AHEAD is well-positioned to provide this much needed outreach initiative. The programme provides awarenessraising and mechanisms to deal with the problem of addiction among students. Fr Francis is confident that the work will have a ripple effect in schools across the state.

AHEAD’s initiative has been welcomed enthusiastically by the headteachers of the schools where it works in Tiruchirappalli, one of Tamil Nadu’s largest cities. They have hailed it as the most appropriate response to the current drug crisis. AHEAD offers training of teachers, direct contact with students and parents, and support of initiatives in each school. Those who share the message are recovering young adults. Their stories strike a chord, and their journey from addiction to recovery both acts as a telling warning and helps to instil hope. Last year, AHEAD connected with twenty schools and seven colleges, reaching nearly 50,000 students. This academic year, it plans to offer training in addiction intervention and recovery support to interested teachers in schools and colleges across the state. AHEAD is delighted at the welcome the programme has received from the administrators and the students themselves in this important area.