Times of India
06 July 2011
By, Jyoti Shelar

Concerned over the alcohol and tobacco addiction problem among policemen, Mumbai Police has started a de-addiction centre for cops at the Nagpada Police Hospital.

“I couldn’t eat a single meal without alcohol,” said Ram Ahir (name changed), a 54-year-old State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) constable, who is undergoing therapy at the centre after he fell severely ill.

The 10-bed ward already has three policemen, including Ahir, who is admitted for a 25-day rehabilitation and detoxification course. These three policemen, all chronic alcoholics, were on the verge of getting suspended from their jobs, when medical experts pointed out that alcohol was the real culprit.

Ahir, who has served extensively in Naxal hit areas of Gadchiroli district and is currently posted at Raj Bhavan said, “I could not handle the work pressure and so I started drinking excessively.”

Medical experts claim that 85 per cent of the cops above 40-years of age are alcoholic. “Young recruits are energetic and health conscious. But when they touch 40, they are unable to take the work pressure and start drinking heavily,” said Dr Yusuf Matcheswala, a psychiatrist attached to Nagpada Police Hospital.

Counsellor Kaminidevi Bhoir said that patients and their families are counselled in the centre. “When a cop is into drinking, it automatically affects his wife, children and parents. We counsel the entire family so that they know how to react and accept the patient,”she said.

The centre was conceptualised by former police commissioner D Sivanandan who felt alcohol addiction was a big problem in the force. “The de-addiction centre will help policemen give up alcohol and tobacco,” said police surgeon S M Patil, head of the Nagpada hospital.