A moment of brokenness

He seemed unusually distracted, and the smile that had never left his face disappeared.

At first, I preferred to give him personal space to get over something that was bothering him, hoping that it was a passing problem, or one of life’s temporary annoyances, but the situation got worse over time, and I felt that he was carrying a heavy burden that made him lose his focus, and it showed in his features and behavior.

I asked him what happened, and could I help? He was confused at first and hesitated to talk about the problem, but with my insistence on the one hand, and his need for help on the other, he revealed what he described as a disaster that befell his family, caused by his 18-year-old son who discovered that he was taking a type he did not know. Of drugs.

No matter how theoretically we talk about solutions to this problem, it is difficult to alleviate the shock of a father or mother when they discover that their child has fallen into this destructive trap. We are defeated by our children’s failures and losses, and we can resist life’s hardships with courage and patience, but our strength is weak when it comes to our children, because they are ambition and hope. And the adornment of life. I listened to him carefully and noticed the tears that his eyes failed to hold back, then I asked him: What next?

He was silent for a while and I continued that the problem had already occurred, so either you continue to collapse and curse your son, or you begin the journey of treatment, which requires a lot of strength, patience, and faith. As a result of our work, we have come across several cases of young people who were led by this mistake to prison, and from there to a dark journey that began with a miserable experience, as a matter of curiosity, with bad friends, and ended with an overdose or a longer period in prison.

What the UAE is making in this regard is an effort worthy of respect and contemplation, as the anti-drug law has changed fundamentally, according to the recent amendments to Decree No. 30 of 2021, the provisions of which have established a culture of dealing with drug users as a patient deserving of care and attention. According to Article 89 of the law, “Criminal proceedings shall not be brought against a user of narcotic substances or psychotropic substances, if he, his wife, a relative up to the second degree, or the person responsible for raising him, presents himself to the unit, the Public Prosecution, or the police before he is arrested, or before the issuance of the law.” An order was issued for his arrest, requesting that he be placed in the unit for treatment until he is placed there until the unit decides to release him. “We must be well aware that we are responsible for raising our children, and what happens to them is the result of our actions. Therefore, we must not bury our heads in the sand when the problem occurs, and hold them responsible alone. We must To be courageous and fight this battle with them, confident of success.

Arbitrator and legal advisor