Follow-up programs help addicts rejoin society

Post-rehabilitation assistance is providing guidance and encouragement for reformed users. Zhang Yi reports from Yuxi and Kunming, Yunnan.

Lin Cong (not his real name) raises 1,000 chickens on the third floor of his parents' house. Every day, he carries water upstairs, feeds the chickens and cleans the coops. He has a cat and a dog, but his pigeons are his favorite pets.

The 34-year-old lives in a three-story house built by his father in 1984 in the suburbs of Yuxi, a city in the center of Yunnan province that is renowned for tobacco cultivation and cigarette manufacturing.

The southwestern province is the main battlefield in the fight against drug abuse because it borders the Golden Triangle, the place where Laos, Myanmar and Thailand meet, an area known for rampant drug production and trafficking.

The taciturn Lin prefers being alone with his animals to speaking with people. His parents, both in their 60s, sell the chickens he raises as the family's main source of income.

"If he hadn't been ruined by drugs, the family would have a better life," Lin's father said.

In 2008, some friends taught Lin how to smoke heroin, and he later became addicted to methamphetamine, aka "ice". In 2010, he was placed in an isolated facility for two years, where he underwent compulsory detoxification in accordance with the law.

"Drug abuse caused damage to his nerves. He is slow to respond," Lin's father said, adding that he is relieved that his son has abstained from drugs since he had the treatment seven years ago.

"It's a long time," said Yang Yunfeng, head of a follow-up program in Yuxi that provides three years of supervision, guidance and help for former drug users after they are released from the detox center.

In 2014, Yunnan launched 50 follow-up programs. To date, they have provided assistance for about 11,000 people, with a relapse rate of just 30 percent, according to the Yunnan Drug Rehabilitation Administration.

"After abstaining from drugs, they still face a tough road reintegrating with society," Yang said. "Most have difficulty finding work. Many lack their family's guidance and support, and some have health problems. As a result, they tend to give up on themselves and regain the habit, even commit crimes."

Violator and victim

While taking drugs means addicts are automatically lawbreakers, many also fall victim to the physical and mental damage that often results from narcotics use.

"During the years of addiction, I engaged in every type of activity to get money to buy drugs," said Wang Yu, 30, from Yuxi.

In 2010, Wang (not his real name) saw two friends getting high on heroin. "They placed the white powder on some foil, held it over a flame and sucked in the smoke," he said.

He joined in out of curiosity, but the first hit didn't give him the anticipated sense of euphoria - in fact, he just lay in bed, feeling dizzy. However, the next day, he bought some heroin voluntarily and smoked it. Later, he started injecting. "The rush was greater and faster," he said.

Wang spent about 8,000 yuan ($1,163 at today's rates) a month on his habit. "As soon as I got some money, I would buy drugs. If I had enough, I would take drugs several times a day," he said. Apart from his income from a part-time job in a nightclub, he regularly made up excuses to ask his family for money or begged his girlfriend to give him cash.

"When I cried in front of my girlfriend with my nose running, she agreed out of pity. My family didn't know about my habit until I was arrested by the police," he said. He was sent to a local rehabilitation center in 2012.

Lin, the chicken farmer, is emaciated after years of drug abuse, and the tattoos on his chest and arms can clearly be seen under the neckline and cuffs of his old, loose T-shirt.

"My son was rebellious and smart, and he liked drag racing on the street," his father said.

Lin sold items he stole from his parents to raise money for drugs. In 2009, he stole 15,000 yuan his father had stashed at home. The money amounted to about half the value of the family's home.

After an overdose, he succumbed to delusions, paranoia and erratic behavior. "He often shouted out that someone was attacking him and he wanted to call the police," his father said.

Drug-induced hallucinations led Lin to set fire to a room on the second floor of the family home. Traces of the flames can still be seen on the walls.

Even though Lin's movements are impaired, he can immediately recall the exact date he was detained by police. On Oct 21, 2010, he and several friends smashed the windows of a car parked on a corner of his block so they could steal items inside and sell them for drug money. They were all high on drugs.