Amit founded the Turning Point Rehab in Surat, Gujarat, in 2015. A recovering addict himself, he works with clients to help them recover physically, mentally, and spiritually. Turning Point is a pioneer in world-class holistic programs and amenities.



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Amit Karekar

  <h4
        id="h-amit-karekar-s-story-is-one-of-deep-inner-challenge-and-triumph-over-darkness-with-help-from-loved-ones-and-professionals-and-the-determination-to-live-he-turned-his-own-life-around-and-is-helping-others-to-do-the-same-at-turning-point-rehab-a-safe-haven-for-all-souls-who-have-lost-themselves-to-substance-abuse"
      >
        <strong
          ><span style="color: #f26529"
            >AMIT KAREKAR’S</span
          >
          story is one of deep inner challenge and triumph over darkness. With
          help from loved ones and professionals, and the determination to live,
          he turned his own life around and is helping others to do the same at
          Turning Point Rehab, a safe haven for all souls who have lost
          themselves to substance abuse.</strong
        >
      </h4>

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          <img
            width="614"
            height="795"
            alt="dealing-with-addiction2"
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            src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/dealing_with_addiction2_ad3d95392e.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T04:50:37.068Z"
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      <p>
        My story has been a roller-coaster ride. A lot of ups and downs. As a
        child, I was obedient and soft natured. During my school days, I became
        rebellious, probably because I always liked to be the center of
        attention. I was so obsessed with certain things that I couldn’t really
        strike a balance, and as I grew older, I became stubborn. During my
        college days, I could not tell my parents that I did not want to do an
        engineering degree, and so I wasted two years of my life instead. They
        said I shouldn’t be wasting time and that I had never known
        responsibility in life. Taking things for granted and being stubborn
        took me downhill.
      </p>

      <p>
        I was born with a silver spoon, having everything at my disposal. I just
        had to enjoy life, or so I thought. My parents loved me a lot, but I
        took undue advantage of their feelings. Instead of using my privilege
        for my benefit, I abused it. That’s how it all began.
      </p>

      <p>
        I had a girlfriend in school, and breaking up with her gave me one big
        reason to start self-sabotaging. In college, the drugs and alcohol
        started. First beer, then marijuana, then “brown sugar,” the kind of
        heroin we get in India. And so I became a hardcore “smackie” within a
        period of six months.
      </p>

      <p>
        I was completely powerless over that addiction. I didn’t realize it and
        my parents didn’t intervene because they thought I would be okay, and
        obey them one day. They kept waiting for that day, while my addiction
        went to another level, and I became suicidal. 18 months down the line I
        was completely messed up. They took me to a psychiatrist and I took
        medication. I did a drug detox, but it didn’t work. I relapsed and was
        taken to rehab when I was 18. I did a program for around 35 days, but me
        being me, I picked up all the notorious guys from there, got their
        contacts and planned what I would do after getting out: more drugs. That
        was how I was.
      </p>

      <p>
        I had a long journey of rehabs and relapses, seven to eight rehabs, and
        every time it was the same thing: I went to rehab, got clean, did the
        program well, and all the counselors were very impressed with me. I
        liked to be in their good books. And I was good at sports. I would never
        receive any punishment and everything was pretty smooth. So fear of
        rehab was not something that worked in my case. This went on for around
        20 years.
      </p>

      <p>
        Finally I got married, and one fine day my wife told me, “You know, this
        is not working out. Let’s just stay apart for six months and I’ll see
        what you do. Take your time to decide whether you want to carry on with
        our life or you want to live your way.”
      </p>

      <p>
        I packed up everything and thought, “Wow, this is amazing. I’m gonna be
        free from today. No responsibilities. Super. God works.”
      </p>

      <p>
        I met a friend and told him, “Just set me up in some ashram where I can
        stay. I just want to disconnect from everything.”
      </p>

      <p>Escapism was everything for me.</p>

      <p>
        I wanted to escape from each and every situation in life. I did not want
        to face it; I did not want to fight it; I only knew “flight” and that’s
        what I did. But for some reason, my friend didn’t comply.<br />He said,
        “You’ve gone nuts. I’ll set you up in a rehab facility. Go there and do
        some service work, help them out, and you’ll be able to figure something
        out. Do it for 20 days.”
      </p>

      <hr class="vertical-space1" />

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        <figure>
          <img
            alt="dealing-with-addiction3"
            width="163"
            height="410"
            class="lazyload has-img-center"
            src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/dealing_with_addiction3_187d49bbfc.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T04:51:09.212Z"
          />
        </figure>
      </div>

      <hr class="vertical-space1" />

      <p>That’s how my journey of recovery began.</p>

      <p>
        Service is one of the final steps to recovery. You are supposed to
        motivate others that recovery is possible, and give hope and strength to
        the people who are suffering with addiction.
      </p>

      <p>
        They accepted me in a rehab center in Mumbai, and I started taking
        sessions, but I was just faking it. There’s a slogan, “Fake it till you
        make it,” and it’s been true in my case. I started helping people to
        realize what was wrong, why they should turn their lives around, and how
        to learn the concepts of balance, etc.
      </p>

      <p>
        And then I was shifted to Surat to start a center there. The adventurous
        me said, “This is it! You’ve got to go there. Whatever you will do in
        the future doesn’t matter at this point in time. This is the best you
        have in front of you – just go for it.” Honestly, I didn’t have anything
        else in front of me, and my parents and wife had also given up hope.
      </p>

      <p>
        So I packed my bags, moved to Surat, and stayed at the rehab house to
        set things up. People said the house was haunted, but that’s what kept
        me there – I was all in for the adventure. I hung around for some time
        and then we got a client. And so my journey began with that connection
        with another person, who arrived fresh to recovery. He compelled me to
        stay, and I stayed for around 8 months.
      </p>

      <p>
        I was working for True Care in Surat. My father figured out that this is
        what I did best, so he encouraged me to start up a center. That’s how
        Turning Point was created.
      </p>

      <p>
        My wife came back to me, and has supported me a lot. She’s the backbone
        of the center. She’s always been the backbone in every walk of my life,
        and if not for her I would not have become a responsible man. I look at
        it this way.
      </p>

      <p>
        In a nutshell, I had everything at my disposal, but I took things for
        granted. I had never understood my responsibilities, and I was never
        left alone. Even if I was busted by the cops, my father would bail me
        out. I didn’t have anything to worry about. These things allowed me to
        hold on to bad company, and I did not know where to strike the balance.
      </p>

      <p>
        I was enjoying life and ruining it at the same time. I thought I was
        having fun, that I was happy, but I was not.
      </p>

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          <img
            alt="dealing-with-addiction4"
            width="600"
            height="775"
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            src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/dealing_with_addiction4_23a0bf8d6b.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T04:51:51.452Z"
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      </div>

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      <hr />

      <h4 class="has-text-align-center">
        <span style="color: #75aa3b"
          >We have a slogan in our program, <br />“If you want to keep what you
          have,<br />the only way is by giving <br />it away to others.”</span
        >
      </h4>

      <hr />

      <hr class="vertical-space1" />

      <p>
        The events of 8 years back changed everything for me. Taking
        responsibility for myself and my life was a turning point. When my
        parents and my wife backed out, that’s when I realized, “I’m on my own.
        I have to sort it out. I have to get it together.”
      </p>

      <p>
        Now I’m going well. It’s fun. Doing the same thing that got me back to
        life 8 years ago keeps me going. We have a slogan in our program, “If
        you want to keep what you have, the only way is by giving it away to
        others.”
      </p>

      <hr class="vertical-space1" />

      <hr />

      <h4 class="has-text-align-center">Illustrations by LAKSHMI GADDAM</h4>

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