=93Punarjani=94(Re-Birth)
CHARITABLE TRUST FOR DE-ADDICTION & REHABILITATION
REG NO 217/2004,
POOMALA P.O. THRISSUR 680581, INDIA.
E-mail: punarjanipoomala@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.punarjani.org
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A
New Venture for Recovery from Alcoholism
Punarjani means the rebirth, yes, really it is a rebirth not only for
its founderer, Managing Trustee DR. Johns K. Mangalam, but also for
more than 200 alcoholic addicts and for their whole family members.
This is really a miraculous achievement for an NGO, which was formed
by a group of Ex-Alcoholics, who were victims of Alcoholism, some
persons affected by this malady and few humanists who have real
concern about them.
Punarjani is at Poomala, a sleepy village 16 km away from Thrissur
town near Mulamkunnathukavu. This organization is distinct from any
other organization due to its peculiarities. This initiative is led
by DR. Johns K. Mangalam, who has several distinction to this credit
like two first ranks, a Ph.D. Degree in Philosophy, a short term
teaching experience at Sree Kerala Varma College, Thrissur and was a
practicing Advocate .He was a severe Alcoholic for twenty years but
come out of it nine years ago.
Poomala which is the home village of DR. Johnson also has the history
of wide spread Alcoholism because in the early days of migration about
60 years back, the predominant population here had been relying
heavily on alcohol to pep up their spirit in their struggle for
survival amidst harsh weather, attack of wild animals and disease like
malaria
Most of the first generation migrants used to consume illicit liquor
from their childhood. Many of them lost their lives prematurely either
due to suicide and diseases like liver problems or by accidents -all
linked to alcoholism some way or other. But even though DR. Johns
belongs to this group, by the grace of God he recovered from it after
many admissions and discharges from a number of De-addiction treatment
centers.
It was a chance realization for DR. Johnson that, Alcoholism is a
disease and from it anybody can recover through adopting a new life
style and through prompt knowledge about the nature, reasons, effects
and methods of recovery from it. When he recognized that his efforts
to get away from liquor were finally successful after innumerable
failures, he tried to influence his friends and others to recover from
the disease which is being wrongly called as a =93bad habit=94.
Together with his friends who had also recovered from Alcoholism
and with the help of some humanitarian friends they started an
organization with the goal to recover and rehabilitate Alcoholics and
their families and also educate them about the evil influence of
alcohol.
Through out the last three and half years they have been conducting
Seminars, creative discussions between the experts in this subject and
the public. They also conducted various awareness camps and cl*****
about the problems faced by the alcoholics and the reasons along with
solutions for the condition of Alcoholism. Now they are conducting an
experiment with their newly innovated means and methods to release an
Alcoholic from this condition.
Punarjani produced an audio-video CD about Alcoholism by the same
name Punarjani and conducted the screening of the said do***entary at
many places, in order to create awareness about this disease. They
distributed hundreds of copies of the said do***entary in the CD form
through out Kerala free of cost. Through the tireless efforts of
volunteers of Punarjani they could act as a catalyst for the recovery
of a large number of alcoholic addicts within a very short span of
time.
Meanwhile they purchased one acre of land at the beautiful and
tranquil area adjacent to Poomala Dam. Now at the said site in two
small sheds they are conducting a de-addiction center by the name
Punarjani Retreat Centre through which they are experimenting and
implementing some newly generated ideas about the means and methods of
recovery from Alcoholism.
They emphasize the fact that alcoholism is a family disease which not
only affects the mind, body and soul of an Alcoholic, but also affects
the whole family. Thus, they begin by motivating the patient along
with proper counseling and education for the family members who had
also become mentally ill due to the impact or after effects of
Alcoholism on a person whom they depend. In fact, they are the
scapegoats of Alcoholism.
Alcoholics usually resist undergoing any sort of treatment due to two
reasons. The formally accepted methods of treatment which restrict
the total freedom of an Alcoholic by imprisoning him in a De-addiction
Center for a very long period of time, and the use of heavy doses of
medicines, are not accepted by them, because they fear to loss of the
freedom which they =91used to misuse=92 for a very long period of time.
Most of them fear the use of any sort of medicine for recovery from
Alcoholism because from their experience they know very well that it
may create physical and mental problems for them after treatment, i.e.
If they continue to consume liquor , in most cases it may lead to
death or paralysis of the patient.
The possibility of the chance for failure in the treatment and
consequent withdrawal of moral sup****t and sympathy from the kith and
kin, while undergoing expensive treatment, may cause loss of morale,
especially if he does not recover completely from Alcoholism even
after the so called rigorous treatment at any De- addiction treatment
Center.
It is in this respect that Punarjani differs from any other recovery
centers. Alcoholics are united to join a combined effort to recover
from their condition by living and sharing together for a period of 21
days at Punarjani, which has =93no walls and gates=94 and at which they
will not be compelled to consume any medicine or follow any specific
religion. They even advise the patients to come voluntarily for the
recovery, after consuming a last peg.
A total change in the attitude of all the members of the family of
the patient and of the society towards the Alcoholic and the recovered
Alcoholic is an essential pre-requisite for recovery and long
endurance of the newly obtained sobriety of any Alcoholic.
Unconditional moral, financial and other sup****t is inevitable for the
sustenance of the new state of life of a recovered alcoholic
PUNARJANI- THE NEW APPROACHES OF PURNARJANI FOR RECOVERY FROM
ALCOHOLISM AND WHY IT IS NEW?
The most im****tant hindrance to solve the problem of Alcoholism is
that Keralaites even though they may be highly educated and literate,
are not properly aware of the fact that Alcoholism is a disease from
which anyone can recover by adequate means and methods.
The other im****tant hindrance to achieve and fulfill the objectives
of the TRUST, Punarjani is that all the family members of an Alcoholic
will, in due course, become the victims of the same disease, and all
the members of the family become prey to Alcoholism . The mental,
social, financial and family life of an addict will make adverse
impacts upon the mental, social, financial life of the whole family
and will create complex problems in all spheres of their life.
The fundamental principles or Axioms of Punarjani about Alcoholism
are that =93Alcoholism is a disease=92=92, =93Alcoholism is a family
decease=
=92=92
and =93there is no Medicine which can offer recovery to the disease of
Alcoholism=92=92.
However, we can recover from the disease, Alcoholism by some other
means and methods and so Punarjani advocates that a true awareness
about the real reasons and nature of Alcoholism as a disease is the
most im****tant thing in order to get rid of this disease.
Unfortunately even though we are very proud of our high rate of
literacy and educational status, proper awareness about the causes,
reasons and the true nature and means of recovery from this disease
etc, are very low, especially among the so called highly educated
people of Kerala, even today. The awareness about this fatal disease
=93Alcoholism=92=92 is inadequate, especially among the poor.
Punarjani believes that ignorance about alcoholism in its various
aspects as a disease is the basic and most im****tant reason for
Alcoholism in India, and especially in Kerala with people - working
hard and earning money to spent on life=92s enjoyments and living with
unbearable quantity of tensions and worries .
The salient features and factors, which differentiate the approach of
Punarjani from other De-addiction Centers, are that
There is No Medicine for the recovery from this disease of Alcoholism
All attempts for the recovery from this disease should be voluntary
and with the consent of the Patient and thus unnecessary and heavy
Medicine should not be prescribed.
Denial of freedom to an Alcoholic by imprisonment is the most
im****tant hindrance for making him aware of the true nature of his
disease and its impacts up on his family .So don=92t curtail the freedom
of Alcoholics by imprisonment.
Provide adequate op****tunity to reveal the broken heart of each
Alcoholic to anybody who wish to listen and can understand the
cir***stances and emotions of an Alcoholic, at any time, anywhere.
Offer the help of recovered Alcoholics to motivate, to create
awareness of the damages caused by it to each of them and to provide
chances for them to inter act with many other Alcoholics without
discrimination of caste, creed, education and social or financial
status.
Provide the healing touches of natural love as the Medicine for
Motivation and Recovery
FREEDOM
Freedom from unnecessary bondages is very im****tant for an Alcoholic,
because he, as an Alcoholic is the person who lavishly enjoyed and
misused freedom by virtue of his disease or as a symptom of his
disease.
So Punarjani believes that whenever he is compelled to restrict his
freedom, he will not co-operate with the means and methods or attempts
of recovery from Alcoholism.
Restriction of his freedom by imprisonment will generate a rebellious
attitude in the minds of Alcoholics and thus their minds will not
listen to what he may hear about his disease.
An intellectual conviction about the true nature of this decease, its
symptoms, reasons, remedy, means and methods of recovery are essential
for the recovery of an Alcoholic. Unfortunately, while the patient is
under the state of imprisonment and restrictions he is not able to co-
operate with the persons who can impart the required knowledge about
Alcoholism and the successful means and methods for recovery from it.
Thus PUNARJANI has no gates for its De-addiction Centre. Instead
anybody can enter and if he wishes to go, he can do so without any
restriction except sympathetic persuasion to continue the stay .Thus
the impulse to escape from Punarjani in order to have a drink can be
overcome by a patient. All they have here is a communal living
together, which enables the patients to learn from the life
experiences, losses, hopes, achievements and expectations of other
Alcoholics through open sessions of personal, family and group
counseling which are totally different from closed, artificially
created, time bound and officially recognized and accepted modes of
counseling. Both recovered and recovering patients participate in
these modes of counseling with out any prejudice or reservation but
with wholehearted involvement.
There is a typical language for communication between Alcoholics. The
languages of sophisticated counselors are mostly alien and not
acceptable to alcoholics. Therefore, a lesson or message expressed by
an Alcoholic in his own language could reach at the understanding
faculty of another Alcoholic or in other words, an academically
qualified, technically educated counselor may not express the same
lesson or message to the reasoning faculty of another Alcoholic as
another Alcoholic, whether recovered or not. He may try to impart his
ideas and thoughts through his sophisticated language and style, but
that may not create the expected result to an Alcoholic. For the life
and distinct experiences of an Alcoholic are very different and
distant from that of a Non-Alcoholic, however empathetic or
sympathetic he may be.
=91Punarjani=92 believes and experiences the fact that, the healing
touches of love, sympathy, compassion, protection and care etc will
produce a tremendous impact up on the life and thoughts of an
Alcoholic.
With dedication and care, we can build up confidence and courage in
the shattered, dejected and confused minds of Alcoholics. Moreover,
the intervention of many recovered Alcoholics will motivate, and
inspire with the required determination, will power, hope and self-
estimation an Alcoholic who is fallen to the state of hell, misery and
defeat. A very short span of time spent with the inmates of
=93PUNARJANI=92=92 will make tremendous impact upon the life of an
Alcoholic=
and indirectly that of the family, his society and on succeeding
generations.
Alcoholics can recover from their disease through self-awareness
of the reasons, symptoms, impacts, means and methods of recovery of
Alcoholism. They can achieve this here, through self -effort and with
the help and assistance of other recovered Alcoholics. However due
acceptance of recovered Alcoholics, by their family and society as a
whole, is very essential for the sustenance of the recovered sobriety
of any Alcoholic.
The net work of the family members of Alcoholics, who happen to get a
chance to stay at =93PUNARJANI=92=92 for a period of 21 days, will act as
the sup****ting group for every newly recovered Alcoholic .The intimacy
and affection expressed among the similarly aggrieved and suffering
patients will have a strength stronger than that of any other group.
Thus, in fact each and every person who under goes this recovery
process at =93PUNARJANI=92=92 will become a healer of other Alcoholics.
Thus, we can feel the wonder created by the intervention of WOUNDED
HEALERS upon the patients at =93PUNARJANI=92=92
Alcoholism is not a sin. Moreover, the grace and intervention of the
unseen power that we call by different names such as Jesus, God,
Allah, Ram, and by other numerous names, is inevitable for the
permanent recovery of an Alcoholic form his disease. At
=93PUNARJANI=92=92,
everybody is free to choose his own Deity as he himself conceives it.
Because =93PUNARJANI=92=92 believes that, in order to fight and defeat the
disease Alcoholism, we need the help of a power that will be stronger
than Alcohol, which has already defeated us. The belief and prayers
offered by an Alcoholic and his suffering family will reap its fruits,
for his recovery and future prosperity, through the unexpected
interventions of God, for which we may not have adequate and
reasonable explanations.
By sharing, we can increase happiness and by sharing, we can decrease
sadness. The feelings of helplessness, worthlessness,
rejection,marginalization etc will be reduced and even eliminated.
By the same process of open and voluntary sharing of thoughts,
experiences and hopes, among the inmates of =93PUNARJANI=92=92, we can
impart hopes and expectations, energy, confidence and the will to
achieve and escape from Alcoholism and to win the fight against the
disease of Alcoholism.
A total, voluntary and unconditional surrender by the patient is
essential for his recovery because the im****tant and primary symptom
and characteristic of this disease of Alcoholism is EGOISM, which is
baseless and false.
Renovation of the life of an alcoholic through counseling, Meditation
Yoga, Hypnotherapy, Faith, Change in values, Life style, Beliefs and
Relation****ps is also a very significant requirement for complete
recovery and sustenance of recovered sobriety of an Alcoholic. It is
only through the unconditional help, assistance, and acceptance
obtained from the family and society an alcoholic can recover
permanently from the disease of Alcoholism.
Thus for the recovery of an alcoholic, the participation, involvement
and change in the social, mental, financial and spiritual spheres of
the patient and his family along with revolutionary changes of
society=92s approach and attitudes towards Alcoholics as =91Patients=92 is
very essential The public is the foremost enemy of any Alcoholic.Those
who may attempt to assist the recovery of an Alcoholic may not be
treated as a Good Samaritans .Because,most of the consumers of alcohol
and social drinkers are not in agreement with the idea of a Retreat
Centre for the recovery of a person from the habit of regular
consumption or abuse of alcohol. Most of the addicts of Alcohol will
not even accept the fact that he himself is now become a patient of
the disease Alcoholism and in order to recover from this fatal disease
he needs external help and assistance including medicine and
counseling.
=91Punarjani=92 Charitable Trust is doing a very great service in this
field by making people aware about the adverse effects of alcohol and
the truth that alcoholism is a disease and also about the proper means
and methods to be followed in order to recover from Alcoholism and to
sustain the sobriety of a recovered alcoholic till his death.
=93PUNARJANI=92=92 is also doing selfless services and exemplary works
in
the field of rehabilitation of alcoholics and their affected relatives
to live and recover their lost mental, social, economical and
spiritual status and also to heal the psychological wounds and all
sorts of losses caused byto his disease - Alcoholism. It is an attempt
to recover the lost dignity and integrity of a person, who happens to
be an addict of alcohol for a long period .It is very difficult for
our social mind to accept an addict even if he totally recovered from
his habit or disease,which was actually an illness of body, mind and
spirit.
It is an accepted fact that, in its complete sense only about 10 %
persons among alcohol consumers may became Alcoholics. They are
totally helpless by themselves to recover from their illness and they
need external assistance for their physical, mental and spiritual
renovations in all spheres of life for their complete recovery.
Nevertheless, the other 90% of alcohol consumers firmly believe and
propagate that they can start, control and stop the habit of consuming
alcohol at their will at any point of time. It is true for them, for
these 90% of alcohol consumers but not for the other 10% of alcohol
consumers who become addicts by that time.
Unfortunately, one among the many symptoms of Alcoholism ,the false
ego prevents them from accepting and admitting their present position
that they are slaves, victims and addicts of alcohol. Thus without
demarcation both the addicts and social drinkers are not willing to
accept the fact that Alcoholism is a disease.
Let us consider the general opinion or views of the pubic about
Alcoholism. They are generally un aware of the fact that Alcoholism is
a disease and as for any other disease it also needs adequate means
and methods of treatment for the recovery from it. Moreover, to them
an alcoholic abuser is a social outcast and an anti-social, unfit to
be tolerated, a burden to the community and family, a bad man, an
irresponsible liar without any promptness in action and word. For them
it is a futile effort on the part of =93PUNARJANI=92=92 to start and run
a
Retreat Centre for De Addiction & Rehabilitation of Alcohol-Addicts
and thus they are least interested in becoming involved with the
projects of =93PUNARJANI=92=92.
The persons who are in need of and who are eagerly waiting for the
actualization of this project are the adversely affected persons i.e.
Alcoholics and their dependents. They are beings suffering directly
and indirectly from the disease of Alcoholism. The after effects of
Alcoholism, such as, =91black outs=92, hallucinations, fluctuating moods,
humiliation, cruelty and losses in all spheres of their life, in due
course etc will make each of them a victim of alcohol and make them
mental patients. However, a son, brother or spouse can by themselves
can do very little to help an Alcoholic, because their capacity for
that will be lost by constant association with an alcoholic who may be
their Bread Winner.
We can see for ourselves by a simple visit to =93PUNARJANI=92=92 at
Poomala, the silent village 13 Km away from Thrissur town, that the
efforts of this very small organization has created vast changes in
the lives of more than hundreds of Alcoholics and their family members
with in a short span of time and with in-adequate facilities or
essential requirements.
But Definitely we can predict that =93PUNARJANI=92=92 will change the
lives=
of thousands of Alcoholics ,their family members and next
generations .Thus we, the so called Samaritans feel inspired to
promote and help this NGO.
Ph.0487-2201332, 09387101015, 16.
Please Visit Our Site
www. Punarjani.org
And promote us by all possible means
Mr .Santhosh,Thrissur
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