Youth drug culture on rise, parents are to blame(2)

Family pressures

The youngest drug addict that Zheng has ever come across at the center is a 16-year-old boy from Beijing.

"He was consuming drugs in large quantities. At the peak of his drug addiction, he was experiencing intense hallucinations of being chased by police cars," said Zheng.

"He tried to hide at home, but his hallucinations meant that even when he was home, he felt as if he was being chased."

According to Zheng, the boy's family operates a number of bars and karaoke lounges, which meant exposure to corrupting influences from a young age. The family business also made it easy for the boy to obtain drugs, said Zheng.

The boy had been using for two years before his parents found out.

"He's an only child. His parents have high expectations of him, but they don't give him enough attention," said Zheng.

"It's a real pity."

Zheng said that the boy's choice of drug was ice (also commonly known as crystal meth), a stimulant and methamphetamine that quickens the signals that are sent between the brain and body.

Zhao Haiqing, who works as a counselor at the rehabilitation center, said one of the major reasons teenagers turned to drugs was family trouble, such as domestic violence or divorce.

For Zhao, one of the most frustrating aspects about working at the rehabilitation center is the fact that most parents merely send their children to the center, without participating in the rehabilitation process itself.

They thus reenact the kind of neglect that led to the child to take drugs in the first place.

"Most of them will pay their child an odd visit now and then," said Zhao.

"But they put all of the blame on their children, and do not reflect on their own mistakes which have led the child to turn to drugs. In such cases, there is a high tendency for the child to start using again."

Long road to redemption

Hao had spent a year at a private rehabilitation center in his hometown of Fujian Province before coming to publicly-funded Beijing Drug Rehabilitation Center.

"It didn't work. Every time after I left the center, I would start using again. A doctor at [the Fujian center] told me that my last chance would be to come here [to the Beijing Drug Rehabilitation Center]," said Hao.

Hao's day at the center usually begins at 6:30 am. His daily routine includes running, meditation, counseling, and physical exercises in a large field where fruits and vegetables grow.

"I'm optimistic that it will end well this time. So far, I think my recovery is on track," said Hao.

Several months ago, Hao received permission to leave the center for a day, and his friends made the trip from Fujian to visit him in Beijing.

"They all use drugs, but I successfully resisted the temptation," said Hao proudly.

Although Hao misses his family, he said that he does not intend to go back to his hometown.

He is afraid that he will fall back in with his old group of friends, and consequently, also fall back into his old habits of drug-taking.

"The circle of friends around [the recovering drug addict] is crucial," said Zhao. "Teenagers are especially vulnerable. Many of them will start taking drugs again as soon as they leave the rehabilitation center because of their circle of friends."

Community involvement

Hao will eventually have to leave the rehabilitation center, as will all the patients there.

In order to provide a support network for recovering drug addicts, local community programs in Daxing and Dongcheng districts have been set up in cooperation with the center and local police stations.

The role of the community programs is to promote drug education, and to help recovering drug addicts readjust to everyday life.

Jiao Xuexian, who previously worked at the Beijing Drug Rehabilitation Center in Daxing district, is now an employee in one of the community support programs in Daxing. Jiao came to the center to visit 18-year-old Yu Xia (pseudonym) on the day of the interview.

Yu has been at the center since April, after she was arrested by local police for using drugs. She had been using drugs for three years by the time she was admitted to the center.

"Her father was ashamed, and refused to see her," said Jiao. "She pleaded with me to talk to her father, and I've promised her that I will."

According to Jiao, although Yu's father appears to be a successful businessman, he is prone to fits of extreme domestic violence, and beat both Yu and her mother. Jiao planned on spending three years to help Yu give up drugs and reintegrate into normal life.

"I will talk to her parents first, and try to solve their family troubles. If this doesn't change, then even if she completes her rehabilitation at the center, there won't be a good outcome," said Jiao.