Expanded social participation helps battle drug addiction

 NANNING, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Lu Huizhen, director of Shizishan community in Pingxiang of southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous¹ region, has another role that makes her feel a sense of achievement -- leading a team of women to persuade drug users out of addiction².

Women are more patient and caring than men, so are better suited to the work, according to Lu, whose team has helped 11 drug addicts³ kick the habit since it was established in 2001. Shizishan has also seen no new addicts in that time.

People like Lu are in the spotlight⁴ ahead of Tuesday's International Day Against Drug Use and Illicit⁵ Trafficking. As Chinese authorities look for wins in the battle against drugs, such programs of education and rehabilitation⁶ are increasingly being valued as much as punishment. Her experience and recipe for success is being pored over.

Bordering Vietnam, Lu's hometown of Pingxiang was once notorious for narcotics⁷ and related crime. Lu recalls that, in the 1990s, people dared not go out in the evening as they were afraid of being robbed.

At the peak of the problem, the community of about 400 people had more than 30 drug addicts.

"They are no longer in the mood to work once they get addicted⁸. When they run out of money for drugs, they rob. Even local residents' aluminum⁹ alloy¹⁰ windows get torn down for money," says Lu.

Born and raised in Shizishan, Lu felt ashamed during its 1990s notoriety as a "drug cave," and she decided¹¹ to act. The 60-year-old lady explains, "I watched most of the addicts grow up and I cannot let them be corrupted¹² like that."

Eleven years ago, her female correctional team began informing addicts of the harm they were bringing upon themselves and to help them build new lives first through treatment and then employment.

"I tell stories of their childhood to start the conversation and use true emotions to move them and let them know they are ruining themselves," she says.

The one-time "drug cave" has now become a model community. With the help of local government, the female correctional team in 2005 expanded to four other communities and 28 members, including four policewomen. This now forms a key part of Pingxiang's anti-drug campaign.

Facing a spread of narcotics, the Chinese government has been beefing up counter initiatives. According to the country's Annual Report on Drug Control, released in May, 112,400 people were arrested in 101,700 drug-related criminal cases cracked by the country in 2011.

However, after years of fierce battles against drug-related crimes, the government has come to realize narcotics cannot be stamped out only by imposing¹³ crackdowns, especially in the border areas.

It's necessary to wage a "people's war" against dealers¹⁴ and mobilize groups through innovative¹⁵ social management, according to Zhang Huande, head of the anti-drug team in Pingxiang and a 10-year veteran of the drug war.

"Anti-drug publicity¹⁶ is as important as crackdowns because a lot of addicts are not aware of the harmfulness of narcotics when they try it for the first time," notes Zhang. "We need to raise awareness¹⁷, especially among youngsters." ' Besides Pingxiang, attempts to establish community rehab centers for drug control are also under way.

Li Wenjun, associate professor from the Chinese People's Public Security University, said China's Anti-drug Law, which took effect in June 2008, marked a sea change in China's approach to dealing¹⁸ with addiction. Instead of focusing on forced and isolated¹⁹ rehabilitation, as was common, it became more about education, rescue and medical treatment.

"Community has become the most important innovative social channel for drug control," the professor says.

For example, Harmonious²⁰ Home welcomes drug addicts seeking treatment in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan province and a major market for nearby notorious drugs-producing area the Golden Triangle.

At this community rehab center, addicts can have a job with a monthly salary of about 1,000 yuan (157 U.S. dollars) and a low-rent apartment, a set-up designed to give them a feeling of a normal life.

In addition, Harmonious Home is built as an open community and all of its residents can choose to stay or leave.

This sets a good example. It's important to treat addicts with respect and give them hope, in the view of Zhang, who adds, "I hope we can include more people in the anti-drug campaign and create a safer environment for the public."

1 autonomous   

adj.自治的；独立的

参考例句：

• They proudly declared themselves part of a new autonomous province.他们自豪地宣布成为新自治省的一部分。
• This is a matter that comes within the jurisdiction of the autonomous region.这件事是属于自治区权限以内的事务。

2 addiction   

n.上瘾入迷，嗜好

参考例句：

• He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
• Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。

3 addicts   

有…瘾的人( addict的名词复数 )； 入迷的人

参考例句：

• a unit for rehabilitating drug addicts 帮助吸毒者恢复正常生活的机构
• There is counseling to help Internet addicts?even online. 有咨询机构帮助网络沉迷者。 来自超越目标英语 第3册

4 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

5 illicit   

adj.非法的，禁止的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He had an illicit association with Jane.他和简曾有过不正当关系。
• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year.今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。

6 rehabilitation   

n.康复，悔过自新，修复，复兴，复职，复位

参考例句：

• He's booked himself into a rehabilitation clinic.他自己联系了一家康复诊所。
• No one can really make me rehabilitation of injuries.已经没有人可以真正令我的伤康复了。

7 narcotics   

n.麻醉药( narcotic的名词复数 )；毒品；毒

参考例句：

• The use of narcotics by teenagers is a problem in many countries. 青少年服用麻醉药在许多国家中都是一个问题。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Police shook down the club, looking for narcotics. 警方彻底搜查了这个俱乐部，寻找麻醉品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 addicted   

adj.沉溺于....的，对...上瘾的

参考例句：

• He was addicted to heroin at the age of 17.他17岁的时候对海洛因上了瘾。
• She's become addicted to love stories.她迷上了爱情小说。

9 aluminum   

n.(aluminium)铝

参考例句：

• The aluminum sheets cannot be too much thicker than 0.04 inches.铝板厚度不能超过0.04英寸。
• During the launch phase,it would ride in a protective aluminum shell.在发射阶段，它盛在一只保护的铝壳里。

10 alloy   

n.合金，(金属的)成色

参考例句：

• The company produces titanium alloy.该公司生产钛合金。
• Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin.青铜是铜和锡的合金。

11 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

12 corrupted   

（使）败坏( corrupt的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）腐化； 引起（计算机文件等的）错误； 破坏

参考例句：

• The body corrupted quite quickly. 尸体很快腐烂了。
• The text was corrupted by careless copyists. 原文因抄写员粗心而有讹误。

13 imposing   

adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的

参考例句：

• The fortress is an imposing building.这座城堡是一座宏伟的建筑。
• He has lost his imposing appearance.他已失去堂堂仪表。

14 dealers   

n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者

参考例句：

• There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
• The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败，与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。

15 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

16 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

17 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

18 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

19 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

20 harmonious   

adj.和睦的，调和的，和谐的，协调的

参考例句：

• Their harmonious relationship resulted in part from their similar goals.他们关系融洽的部分原因是他们有着相似的目标。
• The room was painted in harmonious colors.房间油漆得色彩调和。