Acharya Mahaprajna
Problem Of De-Addiction And Efforts
There is very old counsel—do not indulge in taking intoxicating stuff. This is the counsel of religion and therefore the adherents of religion paid heed to it, and those who did not accept the precepts of religion ignored it. Now the voice "Do not indulge in drinking alcohol" is being pronounced as a national problem. And therefore, it is attracting attention of all. American president George Bush said that use of intoxicant stuff is creating serious problem for the nation. He has formed a strategy to check intoxicant material. Its main parts are-proper use of distributed money, law for that, arrangement of jail for those who violate it, treatment of those who use intoxicant stuff, and making them aware against intoxication.
Habit of intoxication: cause
This is the existing arrangement for the treatment of the disease. In this there is no mention of root cause of the disease. The important question is intoxication has adverse consequences and even knowing this fact a human being gets entangled in intoxication. Will any individual knowingly invite heart disease, cancer, etc.? In fact, no one wants this and yet the number of people taking to intoxication is increasing. The campuses of educational institutions are coming in the grip of intoxication. The main reason of all this is mental tension. There might be some other minor causes but the main cause is mental tension. A common person of today is engrossed in the question of livelihood. A student before getting education, during getting education and after getting education cannot get rid of the problem whether he will get a good job or not, whether he would get good business or not. In modern society, the question is not of getting money alone, the question of prestige is also associated with it. Lot of mental tension is involved in producing the real situations of money and prestige. It becomes difficult for a human being to lead a life of tension for a very long time. He searches a straight route to get rid of it and the habit of intoxication is cultivated.
Worldwide problem
Is intoxication only an individual habit or a habit generated by social values, conceptions and circumstances? Perhaps it may not be so difficult to change the individual habit as it is difficult to change the habit produced in the context of social problem. The problem of intoxication today is a worldwide problem. Its consequences are also coming forth in serious forms. According to the Soviet daily newspaper, 'Sovietskaya' the number of children suffering from mental weakness is increasing. The growth in the habit of taking liquor in males and females is regarded as its cause. In a survey conducted in Varanasi, it is revealed that the youth is suffering the most from the tendency of intoxication. From the survey, it has also been discovered that education has not been able to put a check on intoxication. As the level of education increased, the tendency of intoxication also increased.
Burning question
The habit of intoxication is like a contagious disease. It is getting increased. America spent ten million dollars in 1980 to keep her citizens away from cocaine, marijuana, and heroine. Till 1988, the expenditure went on increasing. In 1989, even a bigger planning has been put forth. As the matter of putting intoxication increased, the quantity of intoxicant stuffs also increased. This problem is connected with business as well. The businessmen dealing in intoxicant stuffs are earning enormous wealth in this business. So how they will like that today's generation becomes free from the habit of intoxication. In this situation, it is a burning question as to how much effective this advice, 'Do not engage in intoxication.' will be. In view of the immensity of the problem, the effort to check it is negligible. Should this effort be continued or not has to be decided. Many people say that in comparison to the big ocean of the problem the attempt to eliminate it is becoming like a small island.
Do not think in the language arithmetic
This question can be raised before the moral movement like Aṇuvrata but when the President of a powerful nation like America stands in opposition to intoxication and his effort is not getting success then the question becomes serious. Let us accept this truth- the allurement which intoxication has that allurement is not present in the de-addiction. This problem is associated with every evil; one who lives by truth never surrenders to evil. He will not think in the language of arithmetic- how much? In how much quantity? He thinks in the language of his duties. Duty does not go by numbers, it goes with life. Intoxication is harmful for life, harmful for health and most harmful for emotional health. Some institutions are taking help of medicinal treatment for de-addiction. Along with government control, arrangement and treatment, if mental training and Prekṣā Dhyāna are added then the movement of the de-addiction can be given greater momentum.
