The high that takes you down!

”For a decade, I was into smoking, drinking, and drugs. When I was about to complete school, I picked up my first cigarette. In college, smoking started out as fun but soon became a habit, and in no time, it was an addiction. It became a status issue, an ego issue, and it was just not cool if you didn’t smoke! I was puffing away like the proverbial chimney and my first drink soon followed,” reminisces Ujval Shankar.

Friends can make or break

Ujval remembers how it all began. Friends, peer pressure, fun, and the ‘I can do it better than you’ swag made him enter the world of smoking, drinking, and dope. “When I went to Degree college, everyone around me was trying it out and I was feeling left out. The urge to roll a joint and feel the real high of life was really getting to me. So, I started doping,” he shares.

Six years of drugs and a decade of smoking and drinking took a severe toll on Ujval’s mental and physical health. His relationship suffered while ties with his family also became strained. 

Then ‘change’ knocked on his door!

He landed a job in Shimla and a year later, Ujval returned to Bangalore, his hometown. Here, he met a friend who saw him and knew that something was not right.  

“He suggested that I take the Art of Living course. I laughed at the thought of getting in touch with a baba or doing yoga!” he said. “It took my friend 2 years to persuade me but I finally did the Sudarshan Kriya,” he says with a smile. “By then, tired of this aimless existence, I wanted to come out of the rut I was in,” he continues. Sharing his experience of the first Kriya, Ujval smiles. “I felt like a lot of heaviness had been cleared off from my head. For almost 30 minutes I was crying, just thinking of the time I had wasted.” He pauses and smiles.

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The process that worked

“After five days of the practice of Sudarshan Kriya, a thought struck me - I had practiced such an amazing thing in the morning but in the evening, I smoked and got drunk. I felt that the Kriya was a beautiful and pure practice and nothing I did should rob it of its pristine beauty. I immediately decided to quit smoking and I did. Surprisingly, my body didn’t crave drugs and alcohol anymore. Also, the values and teachings of Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on the practical ways to drop habits was another key factor that helped me quit,” he beams.

His last puff was 17 years ago. “20 years ago, I was proud and famous for all the wrong reasons but today, I’m proud that I’m able to give back, and help people who are in the same boat I was in 20 years ago,” shares Ujval, who also conducts Art of Living programs that can help addicts recover.

It’s the mischief of illusion!

Speaking about alcohol, he recalls, “Weekends were for partying and getting sloshed. Sundays were spent trying to get over the hangover. Monday mornings were the worst. Office stress was let off in the smoke break but it didn’t really de-stress you. You just pushed it under the carpet. But with the techniques taught in the Wellness Program for Substance Users and the Quit Tobacco Program, the root cause was eliminated.” He highlights the importance of yoga, pranayāma, and the breathing techniques that helped him a great deal.

“And the best part of the program is the hand-holding that is done for the three months after the program. You are not allowed to just drift away or struggle on your own. The program teachers and team of volunteers stand by you every inch of the way. This support keeps the morale high and the infectious feeling of happiness and camaraderie mends you.”

Today Ujval is Co-founder of TeamWorks Academy. He trains corporates in team building and team bonding programs.

If you are looking for a way to overcome drug addiction, smoking, or drinking, join the Wellness Program for Substance Users and the Quit Tobacco Program; with holistic practices like Sudarshan Kriya, yoga, and meditation, you will set off on a life-changing journey towards health and happiness.

Writer: Monica Patel

If you wish to connect to Ujval Shankar, mail him at ujvalshankar@gmail.com.