Islamic Approach to Overcoming Addiction

By Selma A. Cook

Unfortunately, addiction has become widespread, including that related to play stations, the Internet, and shopping as a result of obsessive behavior.  In order to overcome obsessive behavior and attain balance and well-being, the person must undergo a long and difficult journey.

A Promise

Dr Anwar Jeewa is the founder of 'Minds Alive' located in Durban, South Africa. He established this organization in 2003 in response to a promise he made after overcoming his own personal experience with drug addiction. Having been addicted to drugs for seventeen years he had hit rock bottom.

“I ended up in a mental institution. The treatment cost one dollar a day, but I couldn’t even afford that,” said Jeewa.

He was not really progressing, and was growing more and more desperate, trying to find a way to end the vicious cycle of drug dependency.

He added:

On the first day of Ramadan a Muslim talked to me and told me to turn to Almighty Allah. He told me that this is the only way to overcome my problems. I realized that I could find a cure if I followed his advice. I promised Allah the Almighty that if He cured me, I would change my life.

 Jeewa has kept his promise to Almighty Allah, and has dedicated his life to helping young people who are suffering from addiction. He noted that loving and fearing Almighty Allah has motivated him to persist with trying to reach out to others.

An Effective Combination

When he first founded the center 'Minds Alive', there were Islamic treatment centers available in South Africa, but he discovered that they lacked the combination of psychological support and the therapy needed alongside Islam.

He sought to move away from mainstream programs that contradicted Islam because in mainstream rehabilitation it is taken for granted that addiction is incurable whereas in Islam the opposite is true, because Almighty Allah promises to help those who help themselves, and to help those who change their inner selves.

 Jeewa commented: I tell young people to ask Almighty Allah for forgiveness, and to keep their word to become a true believer. I advise them to keep away from temptation and be conscious that death is just around the corner.

Being aware of the reality of life and the consequences of our actions is one of the first steps to overcoming any form of addiction.

Pleasure?

Jeewa noted that nowadays young people are given many opportunities to experience pleasure and they want more of it. He noted that at the same time, young people have lost their purpose and meaning in life, and that this has left a spiritual vacuum.

In the past, people did not have the things that are readily available in today’s world; these days, young people can easily get involved in all forms of addiction including shopping addiction through the availability of credit cards. Many young people become addicted to the internet, play stations, and the pornography that is available through the internet, satellite channels and films.

Drugs are surprisingly affordable and obtainable. It is very easy for young people to feed and strengthen their desires. The spiritual void is reflected in the soul as many young people move away from religion in practical terms, and become Muslim by name only.

Jeewa emphasized that a true believer is someone who acts according to Islamic beliefs. He added that such a person will have meaning in life and this will fill the void and make the need for worldly pleasure less important. Worshipping Almighty Allah, thinking about and considering others, acknowledging the bounties of Almighty Allah and being grateful to Him, protect young people from falling into addiction and the constant search for ‘pleasure’.

How to Motivate

Remembering Almighty Allah and seeking His pleasure motivates and inspires the individual to overcome addiction, and this relationship also helps to prevent it. Performing the five daily prayers at the proper times makes the individual more disciplined and able to organize everyday life in both practical and spiritual ways.

Jeewa noted:

Islam says to ask and you will receive. At Minds Alive, we train young people to think and act Islamically and to make Almighty Allah the center of their life.

How to Avoid Addiction

Jeewa noted that an important part of avoiding addiction is to remember the reality of death and the meaning of life.

Jeewa commented:

If we remember the Day of Judgment we will place more value on our everyday life because we will know that we will be asked about how we used our health, our youth and our time. If you want Paradise you must work toward it and earn it!

Parents and the community must realize the importance of being good role models. Young people only follow what they see, and hear and use what is available. Everyone, even religious leaders and parents must practice what they preach.

In many homes there are many forms of abuse, shouting, and blaming and so there is no positive communication. Homes have become like hotels with family members moving away from each other, and even seeking social outlets away from the family circle. If there is not enough nurturing and communication, love will start to disappear. In such a context, young people feel isolated, and the emotional pain is very hard to bear. Jeewa emphasized the importance of families spending quality time together and that this helps to lessen the gap between people as well as the spiritual gap in the soul.

Jeewa observed that on the streets young people are usually friendly and supportive of each other. Sadly, he noted that gangs are often nicer to each other than many families. This is a call for families to take stock of the dynamics at work between family members and to seek ways to strengthen family ties in a bid to draw closer to each other and to create a haven for young people. If families can do this the young people will not have to resort to the streets for help and support.

A Success Story 

Four years ago, a young man from London was caught with one hundred ecstasy tablets. He was ordered by the court to go in for treatment, but after being released he was caught again with the same drug. His family sent him to a program in South Africa for another three months. In this program he started a relationship with a young woman, and was kicked out. In desperation, his parents brought him to Minds Alive where he was taught to live a normal life, and in the month of Ramadan 2008, he started praying and fasting – he became a good Muslim.

Sadly, during the time of his rehabilitation his parents divorced, but despite his initial set backs, he is now able to help his mother. He is now living with his mother and looking after her and his brother.

Today, he is on the path of Almighty Allah. He has been greatly blessed because when he appeared in the court recently to answer for the drug charges made long ago, his case was thrown out of court when the judge saw the positive changes he had made. He now has a fantastic job and wants to settle down and marry.

Why Some People Fail to Rehabilitate

Jeewa commented that many young people are in a state of denial, and until they acknowledge that they have a problem, they will be unable to face and overcome it. When a person is addicted there are changes in the brain, and the pleasure system of the brain is activated, while other parts of the brain; the area of rationalization, emotional feelings and so on, is suppressed and becomes dormant. In this state the person finds it difficult to rehabilitate.

Another reason Jeewa noted was that families sometimes push the addicted family member into treatment centers because of having lost his or her job or spouse and so the person goes into treatment for the wrong reasons.

Sadly, he observed that sometimes a person has to fall hard before he or she comes to the realization that he has to change. In former times, the family would often use some tough love and turn the young person out of the house and let him feel the pain.

However, today there are family therapists who work with the addicted person as well as the family. The therapist interacts with them, and the family learns how to motivate, not force, and they are advised never to abandon the addicted person.

Sometimes the family can be in denial too and when this happens there is a lot of shouting and blaming, but this is wrong noted Jeewa.

The family has to take part in the therapy too, and help to motivate the addicted person in the right way. If this course is followed, most times the individual will come and ask for help.

“When this happens, there is a very high success rate!” said Jeewa,

'Minds Alive' is planning to open a drug rehabilitation center in Saudi Arabia very soon.

Selma A. Cook is an Aussie Muslim writer who lives and works in Egypt. She is the Managing Editor of the Youth Section. She has written a number of books including: Buried Treasure (An Islamic novel for teenagers), The Light of Submission (Islamic Poetry). She has also edited and revised many Islamic books. She can be contacted at: youth_campaign@iolteam.com.