𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟓 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐀𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐞, 𝐔𝐠𝐲𝐞𝐧 𝐃𝐨𝐫𝐣𝐢 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐡𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐀𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

…𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒎𝒚 25 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒖𝒃𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔, 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒔𝒕-𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒔𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒐 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒚 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒚 𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔- 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒊𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒆𝒙𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕. 𝑺𝒐 𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒖𝒃𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔.

By Sonam Choki

From a tumultuous past plagued by substance use for over two decades, Ugyen Dorji of Wangduephodrang has emerged as a beacon of hope and transformation. Having battled addiction since the tender age of 9, Ugyen’s journey took him through years of turmoil, including repeated detentions and a chaotic period in the army cut short by his struggles. Today, after seven years of dedicated recovery, he stands not only rehabilitated but also as a co-founder and the old-age coordinator at the Happiness Center. His inspiring story of redemption highlights personal triumph and emphasizes his dedication to helping others overcome similar challenges.

Ugyen Dorji from Wangduephodrang struggled with substance use disorder for 25 years. However, for the past seven years, he has been in recovery and currently serves as a co-founder and old-age coordinator at the Happiness Center in Phuentsholing.

At the age of 9, he started using substances because he was all by himself. He began after losing one of his parents, and the other was unable to care for him due to unavoidable circumstances. With no one to take care of him or guide his actions, he grew up in an environment lacking proper guidance. Consequently, he became involved in numerous activities that no child his age should be engaged in. He was detained fourteen times and caused many inconveniences in the community, Ugyen said.

After 15 years of struggling with substance use disorder, he enrolled in army training and served in the armed forces for five years. Unfortunately, he had to leave his profession due to his substance use and subsequently worked in workshops. He said, “After that, I caused many problems in the community, including gang fighting, robbing, and even stopping people walking by to hit them and rob them of whatever they had.”

“There were tremendous problems I faced during my life in addiction, such as difficulties in getting employment, no money, and strained relationships with cousins, among many others. I associated with friends who also had substance use disorders, and by the time I realized it, it was too late, and I was totally dependent on substances,” Ugyen added.

He lost his physical and mental health and could never have a positive thought, being preoccupied with robbery, fighting, and substance use. “Later, I lost my father, and during my father’s final rites, instead of being emotional and concentrating on his funeral, I was busy hunting for substances. These days, I serve older citizens as a way of compensating for losing my parents at a young age and not being able to serve them. I consider it a blessing to serve our senior citizens, as if I were serving my own parents.”

After the demise of both his parents, his relatives were unable to control him. He wandered around the town with no proper place to live or eat, jobless, and lived that life until he was 35 years old. “My brotherly figure, Yamsel Dargay, introduced me to Lieutenant Colonel Namgay Wangchuk, who inspired me, supported me, and took on my entire financial burden for the rehabilitation center, even though I also had support from my family and wife. With the help of Bhup Dhoj Ghalley, Project Director at the Happiness Center, I was admitted to the Goodwill Rehabilitation Center in Siliguri, India,” he admitted.

Now it’s been about seven years that Ugyen is recovering, and he says he feels real life filled with pride and joy. He said, “When people see me, now they talk about the change in me and appreciate me for what I’m doing. Whatever I do now, I feel confident and responsible. Today I realize, during those days when I was suffering from the disorder, I used to carry weapons and walk along the streets in fear, but today I walk without weapons, bold, fearless, and confident.”

He can confidently communicate with people face-to-face, expressing his thoughts clearly. Since stopping substance use, he advocates against its unhealthy practices and cares for individuals suffering from disorders. “I encounter many challenges while assisting individuals with disorders, but I always overcome them by relating to my own experiences of how I used to be.”

When Ugyen was using substances, he never had a proper place to live, nor a good meal to eat, but after stopping, he now owns two shops and a car to drive, and above all, people have trust and faith in him, Ugyen explained. “I feel very happy and blessed to be the co-founder and old-age coordinator at the Happiness Center. My loved ones are also very proud and happy for my work, which gives me encouragement and more energy to work hard and serve people.”

“To maintain continuous recovery, I attend self-help group meetings without fail, no matter the circumstances, to share my experiences. I visit the Happiness Center every single day and manage the center with our team, which is a strong reason for my success in the recovery process. The Happiness Center has helped me stay clean and recognize the real meaning of life. After coming back from the rehabilitation center, I stayed for three days in Siliguri, India. Since returning to the country, there has not been a single day when I haven’t visited the Happiness Center,” added Ugyen.

Reflecting on his journey, Ugyen Dorji expressed a heartfelt message to the youth and those struggling with substance abuse: “To my friends and the youth, I would like to remind everyone that living a life with substance use is not viable at all. From my 25 years of experience using substances, I can tell you that the worst case scenario was not being able to properly perform the last rites for my late parents—I was irresponsible to that extent. So please refrain from using substances. If anyone is in need of help or aftercare support, please contact the Happiness Center in Phuentsholing.

We can help guide you through your recovery. To those who are using substances, please think of stopping. Please stop, and even if we are not capable of serving our Tsa-Wa-Sum, if we can stand on our own feet, there is nothing like it.”