The last six weeks volunteering in the detox center have certainly been a positive experience, and have opened my eyes in many ways. Along with working in the center, I have read the Alcoholics Anonymous big book (the AA bible), as well as A Million Little Pieces (a fascinating though exaggerated recovery of an addict), which have helped me to begin understanding of what it means to be an addict. What I hadn’t really comprehended about addiction (in fact this is one of The 12 Steps) is that it is essentially an incurable disease—once an addict, always an addict—and the only way to prevent a relapse is from completely obstaining from the substance.

The statistics can make working with addiction quite discouraging: in the best facilities in the world, patients have a 15% recovery rate. The privately funded NGO where I volunteer is somewhat below this number, and the government detox center here is around 1%.

There are currently 6 patients at the NGO where I work, and they are roughly half Indian and half Tibetan. Fortunately the Tibetans also speak Hindi, so the counselor and patients who know some English are able to translate for me. Still, the patients are a testament to the diversity of the region. There are rich and poor, old and young, professionals and illiterate.

Most of the patients of the Detox center are admitted by their families, but remain by their own choice. They have realized they have a problem, and want to change their lives. While I try to inspire them through discussions, music, and “recreation therapy,” I must admit that they have inspired me as well: they have many regrets, no jobs, and broken hearts, and they come greet me with a smile and a handshake, and are willing to spend 3-6 months locked in a tiny building…all for the prospect of beating their addictions. When we are singing together or playing a game of chess or carrom, it doesn’t feel like a detox center…we’re just a bunch of people sitting around a room having fun.