Jayaviru Samadhi :

Rehabilitation home for drug addicts

Priyanka Kurugala

The Social Services Department provides several services to drug addicts to uplift their living conditions. The Department helps them to lead a better life without being a burden to the family and the community, Social Services Director Hemachandra Hewage told the Daily News.

The Social Services Department has established a home to rehabilitate drug addicts at Puwakpitiya, Avissawella, he said.

The rehabilitation centre is named Jayaviru Samadhi. There are 16 people being rehabilitated here. We can rehabilitate 20 persons at a time,” he said.

These addicts are rehabilitated in a two month and residential program. Yoga, meditation, counseling, family counseling and mental treatment will be given under the two month program.

After months, those rehabilitated will go provided with vocational training at the Navodya Centre in Slave Island. Under the rehabilitation project, the Department is conducting several awareness programs to rehabilitate drug addicts. Drug addicts and their family members are also provided with pre-counseling services, he said.

The Social Services Department said a person who needs rehabilitation, should apply to the Samadi centre through Divisional Secretariats. All Divisional Secretariats have a Social Service Officer and this officer will help any person who needs to follow the course at the Samadhi centre, he said.