Taking time out from her busy schedule, actor Janhvi Kapoor visited a de-addiction centre in Mumbai. She spent the day surrounded by and interacting with children dealing with addiction or living in homes with addicts and the people who have devoted their lives to caring for them.
Like many taboo topics in India, there is a lot of shame and embarrassment that surrounds addiction. But just because we refuse to talk about it, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. In India, addiction to alcohol, illegal substances, and tobacco is a real issue that affects a lot of adults and kids too.
Addictions in Indian children
In fact, there is a big concern about young children getting exposed to and then becoming addicted to drugs. As per data released in 2022,
a staggering 1.58 crore children between the ages of 10 and 17 years are addicted to substances in the country. The survey also found that alcohol is the most commonly used psychoactive substance by Indians, including children as well. It was followed by cannabis and opioids.
By visiting Mumbai’s Kripa Foundation, one of the city’s oldest de-addiction centres, along with her initiative Off The Rocks and mental health platform Amaha Health, Janhvi Kapoor chose to turn the spotlight on a rather unspoken subject.
Sharing pictures from her visit on Instagram, the actor spoke about the centre’s work and its new day-care facility for children under 18 who are struggling with addiction or living in homes affected by a parent’s addiction.
She wrote, “I was especially moved by their new day-care centre for children under 18, some as young as 10, struggling with addiction or living in unsafe homes affected by a parent’s addiction. It is an increasingly urgent issue that remains inadequately addressed. Kripa also makes recovery accessible at a very nominal cost, ensuring that financial circumstances do not become another barrier to seeking help.”
As per 2025 data taken from a study published in the National Medical Journal of India, among school-going adolescents, the most frequently used substances in past-year surveys include tobacco (4%), alcohol (3.8%), opioids (2.8%), cannabis (2%), and inhalants (1.9%). Of the 200 students questioned from 3 schools, they found that substance use was significantly higher among boys than girls and higher with increasing grades.
After conducting the surveys and collecting data to understand the extent of drug use in children, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched a “Drug De-addiction Programme (DDAP)” with the objective of providing affordable, accessible, and evidence-based treatment for substance use disorders through government hospitals.
Under this programme, the Ministry provides treatment (OPD/IPD) and counselling through 6 Drug Addiction Treatment Centres established in the Central Government Hospitals and 25 Drug Treatment Clinics (OPD & counselling) established at district hospitals and Medical colleges across the country.
A special day to be kind
Janvhi Kapoor chose to do this “seva” on the 76th birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Calling it a “particularly meaningful” experience to have on “the birth anniversary”, she added, “[It is] the beginning of the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan; a month dedicated to the spirit of seva and contributing to the lives of others. To me, seva is simple: giving your time, attention and support where they can make a difference.”
She added, “Today was also a reminder that addiction should not be mistaken for a moral failing. It is an illness, and it deserves compassion, treatment and the opportunity for recovery.”
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