The road to rehabilitation of a propagandist who was addicted to drugs for 12 years

Together with the district police officers, we went to Mr. Luu Van Toan's house in Veu 3 village, Phuc Son commune (Anh Son), a border village with Laos. When we arrived, Mr. Toan was cutting grass for the cows.

Stopping to continue talking, Mr. Toan confided: He got involved with drugs in 1999, when he was 24 years old. At that time, most of the villagers' main income was cutting wood in the forest. One time, listening to his friends who were cutting wood, he tried it and gradually fell deeper into addiction. From a handsome, healthy young man, drugs turned him into a "crazy person", his family almost collapsed from the economy to the spirit. Knowing that, he could not quit because drugs made his mind and thoughts become confused.

Mr. Toan (far right) talks with district police officers. Photo: Thai Hien

Mr. Toan recalls that due to his long addiction, he became a serious addict and switched to injecting. In 2002, he spent up to 500,000 VND per day on drugs. To satisfy his addiction, he tried every way to get money to use drugs. During this time, he no longer lived a real life, and his health became increasingly poor.

However, a lucky turning point came to his life, in 2005 through some friends he met Ms. Vi Thi Thao in Mon Son commune, Con Cuong district and they got married. Having a wife and children was the motivation for him to return to the path of reform. In 2011, with the encouragement of his wife and children, his brothers and children decided to voluntarily go to drug rehabilitation at Nghe An Social Labor Education Center II in Len Doi, Nghi Yen commune, Nghi Loc district.

But when he first came in, every time he had an attack, all he could think about was getting out of here, finding a way to escape, but then he thought about his family, so that his child wouldn't be ridiculed that "his father is a drug addict", he overcame everything. After 2 years of struggling with high determination, by 2013, Toan had completely broken away from drugs.

Mr. Luu Van Toan is radiantly happy with his wife and children. Photo: Thai Hien

Mr. Toan confided: The most difficult time after returning from drug rehabilitation was how to avoid being lured by friends. Therefore, he and his wife and children had to build a temporary shack in the forest, the whole family moved in there for a whole year. Thinking about how it robbed me of my youth, all the tears and sweat of my family, wife and children, I would never change my life again.

Now, Luu Van Toan's joy and happiness are gradually returning, it's like a dream to him. Currently, Toan is very healthy and more importantly, he has gradually regained the trust of his relatives, friends and villagers. He is over 40 years old this year, has a warm family, with a capable, hard-working wife and 3 children, including two boys and one girl. Every day, he works hard, doing whatever he is hired to do as long as he earns a decent living to support his children's education. In addition, he and his wife also raise cows, chickens and ducks to make ends meet.

Mr. Toan during a local drug prevention propaganda session. Photo: Thai Hien

Commenting on Mr. Toan, Mr. Bach Dinh Dung - Head of Veu 3 village, Phuc Son commune said: Mr. Toan is not only a person with the determination to quit drugs, but he is also a very enthusiastic volunteer in the village's activities as well as drug prevention and control propaganda sessions in the locality. Thanks to his sharing in drug prevention and control propaganda sessions, the drug rehabilitation work in the area is quite favorable.