A sports club has been established at a special drug rehabilitation hospital in Herat to aid in the treatment of addicts.

Nearly 500 recovering addicts engage in various sports activities at this club daily.

Mohammad Asif, a 26-year-old undergoing treatment, had been addicted to drugs for three years. However, he has now chosen sports as part of his recovery process for better rehabilitation.

 "I want to recover from this illness as soon as possible with the help of sports and improve my health. Sports play a vital role in human well-being, especially for us who have struggled with addiction. Through sports, we can regain our health more rapidly, “said Mohammad Asif. 

According to several recovering addicts, after years of suffering from addiction, sports have given them hope.

"I was addicted, but thank God, I have been drug-free for three months,” said Delawar, a recovering addict.

"Addiction is very painful and devastating; it ruined my life,” said Saqib, another recovering addict.

"When we leave this place, we will walk out as athletes, not addicts. We will return to our families and relatives with pride," Maruf, also in recovery.

According to officials, the sports section at the special rehabilitation hospital in Herat has been active for nearly six months.

"We have been training here for about six months. After patients are admitted to the hospital, we assess and identify their interests to determine which sport they are inclined toward,” said Behrooz Amani, head of sports at the special drug rehabilitation hospital in Herat.

"These individuals were very weak, and we collected them from the streets of the city. So far, we have rehabilitated about 500 people through sports—individuals who are now present in this hospital and care for other addicts,” said Kamaluddin, head of the special drug rehabilitation hospital in Herat.

The special drug rehabilitation hospital in Herat was established about two years ago and treats 4,000 addicts in each phase.
According to officials from the Herat’s Counter-Narcotics Department, more than 20,000 addicts have been treated in this hospital and reunited with their families.