Speaking to FMT, Pengasih founder and president Yunus Pathi said the most effective way to combat drug addiction and substance abuse is prevention.

“Prevention begins at home. The problem in Malaysia is that parents do not take the bull by the horns. They either don’t talk to their children or don’t do it properly,” said Yunus, who was a former addict.

“It is not good enough for parents to say ‘drugs are haram so don’t do it’. You can’t just dictate and expect your kids to listen to your every command. Parents have to do more than that.”

Yunus, who has five children, said that today’s youth would seek information online about the things they may hear or see about drugs, be it from their peers in school or what they watch on television.

“This means that parents can’t lie about drugs to their children when they are asked as their children would compare what their parents say about drugs to what they read online,” he added.

“Seek knowledge and tell them the truth, because they will find out anyway and if they find out you are lying, then they will be less inclined to listen to anything you say.”

Yunus shared that in his family, when such an issue propped up, he would convene a family meeting.

This he said was the best way to address the issue, adding parents nowadays should not dismiss or evade any questions their children may have about drugs.

“As an example, if your child has been caught doing drugs, you call for a family meeting. Ask why your child took drugs, how it made them feel, explain the long term effects of the drug and ask them whether they need help, like going to rehab.”

“Don’t condemn them or disown them if you find out they have been taking drugs. Parents must be patient and supportive.”

Make time

Yunus lamented that parents nowadays did not spend enough quality time with their children.

“The greatest addiction nowadays is the addiction to smartphones. You can see it all around you. The children will be on their phones, as would the parents, so they don’t have a chance to talk.”

He said it was crucial for parents to make time to talk to their children instead of just playing with their phones.

“Talk to them about real issues. Don’t wait or expect someone else to talk to your children about issues like drugs. The problem is that many parents expect the government or NGOs to talk to their children about drugs.”

He also said it was important to raise a child’s self-esteem so that they would be less likely to cave in to peer pressure.

“When children have a higher self-esteem, the desire to conform to their friends who may be taking drugs will be lesser,” he said, adding it was important that parents make their children feel important and avoid saying things that could lower their self-esteem.

Yunus said open communication and increasing a child’s self-esteem are proven ways to help prevent drug and substance abuse.

“Whatever solutions we opt for should be based on evidence. Posters and billboards may seem creative but they aren’t as effective as direct communication.”

Earlier this year, the home ministry revealed that 131,841 drug addicts were registered between January 2010 and February this year. Of that number, 127,797 were men and 4,044 women.

Pengasih is the only drug and addiction rehabilitation centre in Malaysia which is wholly-operated by former drug users.