The age of rage | |||
| Roid rage — which arises from the use of anabolic steroids — could have led to South African double amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius killing his girlfriend. Reena Martins on the way the consumption of the substance is bringing about aggressive behaviour closer home | |||
Ramesh doesn’t like strays. The 30-something doctor
from Mumbai kicks street dogs whenever he sees them. His violence is not limited
to dogs. One day, he beat up a constable who stopped him from crossing a green
light because the traffic was being blocked for a minister’s car.
“I’d beat up my wife, family members, neighbours and
even my patients if they annoyed me,” he says.
Avinash, 21, surprised his family when he suddenly
started pelting his neighbours with stones. His worried parents admitted the boy
from western Uttar Pradesh to the Institute of Human Behavioural and Allied
Sciences (IHBAS), New Delhi.
Ramesh and Avinash have something in common with Oscar
Pistorius, the South African double amputee track star, who was released on bail
on Friday after being jailed for allegedly killing his girlfriend, model Reeva
Steenkamp, in his mansion in Pretoria.
On the night of the shooting, Pistorius, or Blade
Runner as he was popularly called, was said to have been in the possession of
anabolic steroids.
Ramesh takes anabolic steroids — synthetic derivatives
of the hormone testosterone — and doctors believe that Avinash was prescribed
the drugs by a quack after an illness. Research has shown that in some people —
especially those with a family history of psychotic illnesses — steroid drugs
can trigger aggression. “This seems to have happened in the case of Avinash,”
says Om Prakash, associate professor of psychiatry at IHBAS.
Anabolic steroids, banned in professional sport for
their ability to artificially enhance performance and bulk up muscles, are once
again in the dock, courtesy the fallen South African star. The controversial
steroids behind the win of many a sportsperson is now being discussed for “roid
rage”, which the United States Anti Doping Agency (USADA) describes as
“increased aggressiveness and sexual appetite, sometimes resulting in aberrant
sexual and criminal behaviour” in its latest handbook for athletes.
The potential side effects of steroid misuse range
from acne and baldness to testicular atrophy. In women, it can lead to facial
hair and a deepening of the voice. Among the other serious side effects are
reversible infertility, as well as stroke, liver failure and cardiac arrhythmia.
But the focus in recent times has been on aggression.
As extensive research has shown, anabolic steroids, used to treat delayed
puberty, impotence and muscle debilitation by raising the levels of
testosterone, the primary male sex hormone, also leave a trail of side effects,
from the brain downwards. And aggression is often an outcome.
Recently, Dr Dilip Nadkarni, an orthopaedic surgeon
and sports medicine specialist in Mumbai, had to mend an angry 26-year-old
wrestler’s wrist with a plate and screws, after he pounded the wall with bare
fists. The man was on anabolic steroids, as he confessed in the privacy of the
doctor’s clinic.
“Misusers of anabolic steroids subjectively report
significantly more fights, verbal aggression and violence towards their
significant others during periods of use compared with periods of non-use,” says
an article in the January 2013 issue of the journal of the Royal College of
Psychiatrists, UK.
In the United States, it says, there have been several
case reports of “roid rage”. In 88 athletes using anabolic steroids, a study
found aggressive behaviour related to steroid-associated episodes. “Participants
admitted to a range of serious episodes, including property damage, assault,
being involved in a murder plot and beating a pet dog. Several of the sample had
been expelled from home by parents, wives or girlfriends because of their
intolerably aggressive behaviour,” the journal says.
In India too, widespread use of steroids — especially
in areas such as sports — is leading to bouts of violence. Sourav, a 28-year old
engineer, who began taking anabolic steroids to excel in college level sports,
says he’s lost count of the number of beatings and street fights he got into.
“If a fellow biker ignored my honking, I’d just crash into him,” he says. “Once
a lady on a two-wheeler fell of her bike because of my violence,” he says.
Saurav, who took 100-200mg of drugs every day, says he
was always edgy at home. “If I felt challenged, I broke whatever came my way —
even the TV and microwave,” he says.
Ashok’s story is similar — though his aggression was
self-inflicted. He recalls one night when he came home late after taking his
daily fix of steroids. Tempers were already running high; his nephew was arguing
with Ashok’s mother.
Ashok suddenly found himself screaming at the boy, and
got slapped by his older brother. Humiliated, he went out and slit his wrist
with a blade. The doctor was called in and the hand bandaged, but the adrenaline
in his veins hadn’t left the blood. “I was still so full of energy that I tried
to find ways to kill myself,” says Ashok, who underwent a 90-day rehab
programme.
Clearly, anabolic steroids are not just being used by
athletes and others seeking to enhance their performances. Increasingly, it’s
also being used as a drug for it triggers a sense of confidence and euphoria.
And like all drugs, users can get addicted.
Three years ago, Sandeep Mitra, senior counsellor at
the Kripa Foundation’s drug rehab centre in Calcutta, says he saw hardly one or
two addicts a month hooked on steroids; today that number has gone up five or
six times. In Kripa’s Manipur drug rehab centre, 10 of the 30 beds are occupied
by anabolic steroid users. “Most drug addicts start between 13 and 19; once
they’ve developed a tolerance for hard drugs like heroin, they turn to
steroids,” Mitra says.
“Steroids make you feel on top of the world, but when
you stop you crumple into a heap on the floor,” Mitra stresses. And sometimes,
somebody else crumples in front of you.
(Some names have been changed.)
24th Feb'2013
Submitted
Newsdesk
|
Thursday, February 28, 2013
An Article in the The Telegraph- Calcutta
Fr. Joe acquires a permanent new home for kripa Mangalore
In the serene surroundings of tree plantations, in the city limits of Managalore. Fr. Joe finalised the documents and took possession of the property. Till date Kripa Mangalore was always using rented premises. now they have a home of their own, through the efforts of Fr. Joe. This centre is situated in Kulshekar, Shantinagar in the region of Cordal Mangalore.
The property that belonged to Mr Cyprian Saldanha and Mrs. Lilly Philomena D'Souza was handed over to Fr. Joe after all formalities at the registra' office on the 27th of Feb'13. Accompanying Fr. Joe was Mr. Dayal Martis and Paul D'Souza of Kripa Managalore.
Submiited and Collage
Newdesk
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Fr. Joe at the Vatican Embassy - New Delhi
The Investiture ceremony of knight
commander of St Gregory on Senior Advocate Joaquim Reis, friend and benefactor
of kripa was held at the Vatican Embassy on Saturday 23rd Feb 2013 in the
presence of his Family and significant friends. His Excellency the Nuncio
Salvador Pinocchio bestowed the knighthood on Joaquim Reis by reading the said document
sealed and stamped by Holy Father Pope
Benedict the 16th from Rome.
Significant guests consisting of Supreme
Court judges, eminent lawyers, Oswald
Cardinal Gracias, Archbishop of
Tamilnad, Archbishop emeritus of Delhi Vincent Concessao as well as the new
Archbishop Anil Couto, his auxillary graced the occasion.
Fr. Joe Pereira Managing Trustee
Kripa Foundation was one of the invites along with our very own Dr.Darriel
Demello [ Dr. Eustace's daughter] who was accompanied by her husband Rajiv
Mathur, Fr. Stephen. Fr. Felix, and Fr.Aniceto Pereira of Bombay Archdiocese, Dr. Anthony Sequeira and Mr. Joseph Dsouza Trustee of Joseph Cardign
from Mumbai.
Submitted byNewdesk
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Fr. Joe speaks on the Role of Christian Faith in Addiction Recovery- at a lenten season programme in Vasai Diocese
“When two or more are gathered in My name I will be in midst
of them,” is a divine promise in the Holy Bible. This and other verses common
to the Christian faith hold essential keys to recovery from devastating alcohol
and drug addiction, Father Joseph Pereira, Founder and Managing Trustee, Kripa
Foundation, told a nearly 400-strong gathering in Vasai (West) near Mumbai, at
a seminar held on Sunday, February 24, 2013.
Addressing a seminar entitled ‘The Role of Christian Faith
in Addiction Recovery,’ Fr. Joe said, the Kripa Model of Recovery is based on
the 12-step program of Alcoholics Anonymous. These 12 steps, he highlighted,
are based on Biblical and Christian principles such as placing unflinching
belief in God- power greater than
oneself, honesty- one of the basics tenets of Christianity, confessions of our
wrong doings with a resolve not to repeat them and other, all are commonly used
in the Catholic faith. He stated that the 12-step program was developed by
persons who followed Christian principles and hence, Christianity plays a major
role in recovery of addicts. The seminar was held as part of the ongoing ‘Year
of Faith’ by Kripa Foundation and to observe the Lent season.
The seminar also included an audio-visual presentation on
the history of Kripa Foundation, made by Bosco D’Souza, National Program
Director, Kripa Foundation and translated into Marathi, for benefit of
attendees by Sanjay Joshi of Kripa Vasai.
Fr. Joe and the kripa Team were welcomed at the venue, Late
Fr.Bhandari Hall, Dev talao, in Vasai (West) by Msgr. Francis Correa, editor of
the Suwarta, a Catholic community publication from Vasai-Virar region, to which
he contributes regularly. In his welcome speech, Msgr. Correa said that it was
indeed a pride for Vasai that it’s son, Fr. Joe, had reached such great heights
in serving mankind by helping substance addicts recover and helping HIV/ AIDS
victims and to an extent that he was honored by the President of India,
Pratibha Devsingh Patil with the Padma Shree, India’s highest civilian
accolade, in 2009. He joked that Fr. Joe, by taking priesthood, had broken
hearts of several young women of Vasai since he was a handsome, eligible
bachelor while young. The Grace Choir played six traditional Lent songs at the
beginning of the event, later a meditation demonstration was given by Fr.
Andrew Rodrigues.
Fr. Joe also spoke about the challenges faced by recovering
addicts. He said, eminent psychologists like Carl Jung had proved that
addiction can be cured through faith in God but Karl Marx had managed to
overwhelm Jung with his theory that religion is the opium of the masses.
Despite these challenges, faith continues to play an important role in recovery
and rehabilitation of addicts. Similarly, many psychologists and physicians had
tried to prove that faith had nothing to do with de-addiction and had been
proved wrong.
Later, Fr. Joe also spoke on the benefits of meditation both
for recovery from addiction and for non-addicts, to help improve quality of
life. He gave a brief demonstration of meditation and spoke about the World
Community of Christian Meditation, stating he would hold a WCCM workshop in
Vasai soon. Msgr. Correa said, another seminar on Christianity versus addiction
would soon be held with Fr. Joe to benefit the populace of the Vasai-Virar
region. Fr. Joe ended the programme by singing the praises to the Holy Trinity
in Sanskrit which kept the near house full audience spell bound, sending them
home soaked with a better knowledge to combat addiction in the region Vasai-
Virar.
We are deeply gratefull to Mr Royal D'Souza of Jeevan Darshan Kendra for his kindness of recording the whole audio program for us.This will be shortly available on our website.
We are deeply gratefull to Mr Royal D'Souza of Jeevan Darshan Kendra for his kindness of recording the whole audio program for us.This will be shortly available on our website.
Submitted by
Ashwin Honawar
Collage
Newsdesk
Fr. Joe felicitates Mayor Narayan L. Mankar of Vasai Virar Mahanagarpalika on behalf of Kripa & VRACS
The Vasai-Virar Municipal Council (VVMC) will up the ante
against the spread of HIV infection in
the region, by actively involving the nine Reproductive and Child Health (RCH)
centers in its jurisdiction while launching an awareness against this deadly
scourge, Mayor Narayan L. Mankar, said in Vasai on Sunday, February 24, 2013.
The VVMC will achieve this goal through its long-standing partnership with the
Vasai Region Aids Control Society (VRACS), an initiative of the Kripa
Foundation- India’s largest NGO in the field of substance de-addiction and
rehabilitation, he added.
Mankar is also a member of the Elected Leaders Forum Against
AIDS (ELFA), which was formed as a citizens action group to prevent the spread
of HIV contagion in the region. Mankar said, the VVMC will also intensify and
extend its public awareness campaign against AIDS through its Mother and Child
Health (MCH) and the Adolescent Sex Education programs to broaden knowledge of
this disease. The VVMC’s efforts will be augmented by education and awareness
drives conducted by the Kripa Foundation, which operates a centre at Papdy,
Vasai (West) near Mumbai and other ELFA members including Dr. Hemant Patil, who
will spearhead the new offensive.
Kripa Foundation and VRACS on Sunday felicitated Mankar for
his successful election as the second Mayor of the VVMC. At a ceremony held at Kripa Vasai, Fr. Joseph
H. Pereira, Founder Managing Trustee,
Kripa Foundation, lauded the role played
by Mankar and ELFA in helping control the HIV/ AIDS contagion in Vasai-Virar
region. He noted that VRACS ( Vasai Region AIDS Control society), VVMC and
Kripa have a joint responsibility in controlling and curbing HIV/ AIDS, since
substance abuse leads to high risk behavior leading to unprotected sex that may
cause the fatal disease. While Kripa is battling addiction, VRACS and VVMC can
assist its efforts by combating AIDS, Fr. Joe, added.
Mankar in his address to the gathering said that Kripa and
VRACS was his home and although being the first citizen of Vasai Virar , he
will always be there as a board and family member.
Fr. Joe said he was pleased to see Mankar elected as the
VVMC Mayor since the two have worked shoulder-to-shoulder since 1995 in the region for its betterment.
Both hail from Vasai and hence, it was apt that a local should hold the mayoral
post, he noted. Later, Fr. Joe felicitated Mankar on behalf of Kripa Foundaton
and VRACS advisory board members by presenting him a shawl and memento.
Accompanying the mayor were Municipal council members Mr. Sandesh Jhadav and
Dr. Hemant Patil along with VRACS board members Mr. Vanmali, Dr Bansode, Mr.
Jagdish Shetty, Mrs. kanekar, Mr. Amrohi, Mr. Sharad Vichare, Dr Menon and Mr.
Bosco D;Souza.
Fr. Joe hosted a
luncheon for Mankar and his delegation along with the advisory board members of
VRACS.
Submitted by
Ashwin Honawar
Collage
Newdesk
Submitted by
Ashwin Honawar
Collage
Newdesk
Sunday, February 17, 2013
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