CHANDIGARH, June 24: The expansion of Narcotics Anonymous peer-support meetings into 13 districts has emerged as a central component of the state government’s comprehensive anti-drug initiative, ‘Yudh Nashean Virudh’. In coordination with Leadership in Mental Health Programme fellows, the global recovery fellowship is organizing regular support sessions at state-run de-addiction and rehabilitation centers. Administrative officials stated that the initiative is operating successfully in Muktsar, Ludhiana, Rupnagar, Mansa, and several other districts to provide recovering individuals with a structured, collaborative environment for long-term sobriety.
Medical professionals associated with the programme affirmed that peer-led support effectively targets social isolation, which is often identified as a major catalyst for relapse after institutional care. The state’s strategy emphasizes reordering the traditional rehabilitation flow by integrating lived experiences directly into clinical recovery spaces. Program coordinators declared that the sessions offer an entirely confidential platform where individuals find mutual understanding and practical guidance from those who have successfully navigated similar challenges.
“Narcotics Anonymous is the best forum for a drug addict because the peer group members exactly know and understand the experience of an addict and they are best placed to guide them towards a drug-free life because they have undergone all those problems themselves,” stated Parminder Singh, a psychiatric social worker at the Muktsar Drug De-addiction Centre.
As attendance figures continue to rise, numerous individuals who have achieved stable recovery are volunteering to guide new participants within their respective districts. Healthcare counselors maintained that regular participation in these group therapies instills the necessary confidence to sustain a drug-free lifestyle, reinforcing the state’s broader mission of complete social reintegration.
