Confucius joins fight against drug addiction
Print Edition
AUTHORITIES in east China’s Shandong Province are drawing on the concepts of Confucius to help addicts stay clean.
The establishment of a Confucius institute at a compulsory detoxification center in Jinan, the provincial capital, has sparked debate about how ancient Chinese philosophy can help treat drug addiction.
Confucianism advocates family ties, filial duties and mutual respect, which authorities believe will have a positive impact on those receiving treatment.
“Confucianism will help boost the addicts’ confidence in detoxification and reshape their spiritual world,” said Wang Daqian, secretary-general of the China Confucius Foundation, which co-founded the institute. Authorities hope that the ancient philosophy will help change an addict’s perceptions and behavior so that they can “completely get rid of drug addiction and get back to society.”
In a reading room at the institute, addicts studied books around a long table. A portrait of Confucius hangs on the wall, with two scrolls containing couplets advocating good temper, love, respect, frugality and humbleness.
“Besides reading, we also learn calligraphy,” one said. “The more you learn, you get a deeper sense of calmness.”
Calligraphy, which requires careful and attentive strokes, can help “purify the addicts’ souls,” said Cui Dongzheng, deputy head of the center.
In another Confucius institute at a rehab center in Jining, drug addicts have classrooms, a library and a calligraphy center. The center incorporates Confucius culture to “touch them emotionally.”
“Ever since I left school, I have never picked up a book,” a 24-year-old drug addict surnamed Zhang said as he read a book of Confucius Analects. “In the past I didn’t think taking drugs was a big deal, but now I know the harm it causes and I am determined to get rid of it.”
Sui Shanjian, head of the center, said that it’s easy for the drug addicts to “get rid of drugs physically” but “hard for them to quit psychologically.”
“It’s common to see many addicts get back to taking drugs again after leaving rehab,” Sui said.
But Confucianism, which advocates introspection and responsibility, effectively “builds up an impulse mechanism” that helps the addicts avoid drugs proactively, Sui said.
A series of calligraphy competitions, cultural lectures and speech contests have been held at the center, which has strengthened their beliefs to shake off addiction, he added.
With the help of Confucian education, many addicts have become more confident and less violent, he said.
“Some addicts weighed only about 45 kilograms when they were admitted, but after two to three months of such education, many have gained weight,” an official said.
China faces a daunting task of battling drug addiction, with more than three million registered drug addicts, according to Qi Yan’an, deputy head of Shandong’s Department of Justice.
“Behind every drug addict is the lack of love and responsibility,” said Wang Daqian.
“As a Chinese saying goes, ‘it is easy to catch the thieves in the mountains, but it is hard to catch the thieves in the heart.’ I hope that the addicts in the rehab centers can learn traditional culture attentively, so that they cultivate proper values and be a good person to their families and our society in the future,” Wang said.
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