Morung Expess News
Dimapur | July 18
Substance Abuse Disorder (SAD) is emerging as a serious health and social challenge in Nagaland, with experts pointing to a mix of systemic, individual and structural factors driving addiction among the youth, even as they call for a compassionate, multi-level strategy to address the crisis.
Dr Emmanuel L Yanthan, an adolescent health and wellness coach, said the problem cannot be tackled without first understanding its roots. According to him, the causes fall into three broad categories - systemic, individual and structural.
On the systemic front, he said young people migrating from villages to cities such as Dimapur and Kohima, or out of the state for education and employment, often lose the daily support of family and community. “This loneliness and stress can make them vulnerable to bad habits,” he said.
At the individual level, he cited peer pressure, lack of awareness about the dangers of drugs, poor stress management skills, and a sense of hopelessness about the future as key triggers.
Structurally, Dr Yanthan pointed to inadequate de-addiction infrastructure in the state. “We do not have enough good rehab centres, trained counsellors, or a strong support system to help those who are already struggling to recover,” he said.
Calling for a multi-modal strategy in line with global evidence, Dr Yanthan outlined six key interventions: building a caring, stigma-free community response; training counsellors and upgrading rehabilitation centres; introducing awareness programmes in schools and colleges; teaching adolescent resilience and stress management; strengthening narcotics policing and border checks; and empowering youth at the grassroots level through churches, sports and leadership opportunities.
“Addiction is a health and brain issue, not a moral failure or a character flaw,” he said, adding that treating it with care instead of shame encourages young people to seek help and recover.
Sharing similar concerns, Bendangienla Amri, a counsellor at the District TB Office, Mokokchung, said punitive approaches would not solve the problem. Drawing on her experience counselling youth, she said the focus must shift to prevention, compassion and rehabilitation through employment.
“Punishing them is not the answer. First, we must create exciting, youth-led hubs for sports and skill-building in every community. These spaces are vital to fighting the deep boredom and frustration that lead to drug use,” Amri said.
She said churches and village leaders must replace stigma with compassion. “When we lead with kindness, young people feel safe enough to ask for help long before they hit a crisis point,” she said, adding that youth leaders should be empowered to run awareness programmes since “they connect with their peers far better than we do.”
On sustaining recovery, Amri said rehabilitation must go hand in hand with livelihood opportunities. “Recovery is only sustainable when we give them a real future. We must pair their recovery with practical job training and steady employment opportunities. When our youth are busy building their own careers, they find a powerful reason to stay on the right path,” she said.
“They do not need our judgment; they need our active, consistent support,” Amri said, adding that a collaborative approach involving families, communities, institutions and the government could help young people rebuild their lives.
