Former drug addict seeks atonement in awareness-raising trek
2023-06-27 16:14
A sun-bronzed middle-aged man trudges through streets and alleyways, pulling a modified handcart bearing an array of words and photographs. Even from a distance, one pithy slogan is clearly visible: "Say no to drugs."
The man is Lyu Jiajun, a 47-year-old former drug addict from Shanyin county, Shanxi province.
Lyu has been conducting this anti-drug trek for almost five years now, having finally overcome his own addiction. He learned his lessons the hard way, becoming addicted to heroin in his 20s, and being admitted to drug rehabilitation centers in 2013 and 2017.
In 2019, one month before being discharged for the second time, his mother died. In her parting words to Lyu's younger brother and daughter, she expressed her wish for her drug-addict son: "If he can come back alive, let him be a good person and stay away from drugs."
He also carries a stash of results from urine tests that he has taken while on the journey. They prove that he is currently "innocent" of drug taking, and serve as a sober reminder of his past, thus helping to prevent a relapse. He also has with him two notebooks containing words of praise and encouragement handwritten by police officers from the narcotics control divisions in various localities.
During the course of his trek, he has acquired the skill of livestreaming, which provides a new way of sharing his message. He quickly found his livestreaming space was inundated with trolls, but he refused to give up. Now he conducts his journey each day with cellphones mounted on the front of the handcart.
Since starting out in 2019, Lyu has covered over 16,000 kilometers across 15 provincial-level regions. Once he has completed his awareness-raising trek, he will return to his hometown and take up farming. Even then, he plans to continue using his experience to help others facing the same struggles.
"There is no going back in my life. If I were to give up on this task at any point, I'd feel like my whole life was pointless," said Lyu.
Source: Xinhua