Jibran Ahmad, 17, from Indian-administered Kashmir, led a normal life until two years ago, when his friends first offered him heroin.

Ahmad (name changed) had been a promising student before developing the addiction, which destroyed his and his family's lives.

Ahmad, whose family is from southern Kashmir's Damhalhanjipora village in the district of Kulgam, was in the ninth grade when he first tried the drug.

"I started taking heroin when I was 14. My friends told me I should try heroin once and I will feel good. They provided it to me for free. I thought I would try it just once," Ahmad told DW. He is currently being treated at the drug rehabilitation ward at the Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (IMHANS) in Srinagar.

Ahmad is just one of thousands of Kashmiri youth who have become addicted to heroin in recent years. Economic stress and a subsequent rise in mental health problems have hit the region, following years of conflict and the recent pandemic-related lockdowns. Experts say these elements are largely responsible for the rampant spread of heroin addiction among young people in the region.

A senior psychiatrist based in Kashmir who did not want to be identified said conflict zones were "fertile grounds for psychiatric issues."

"Conflict plays a role in issues like drug addiction, and now it is an alarming problem in Kashmir," the expert said.

"On an average day, I see 60-70 patients in a separate outpatient department for drug addiction. The rehabilitation centers are always full."

A quick downward spiral

Ahmad's father is a government employee, and he has a brother and sister who are also still students.

He has visible scars from injections on his arms and his neck, and his mother often sits next to him in the ward as he complains of body aches, sleeplessness and fatigue. 

"I tried three lines on the second day, and he [a friend] again gave it to me for free," he said. "On the third day, I bought it for 1,000 Indian rupees (€11, $13)." Ahmad later dropped out of school.

As a result of his addiction, his family suffered financially, emotionally and socially, as they were also shamed and stigmatized for their son's habit.

"I used to steal my father's salary through an ATM. Slowly our family life was devastated, too," he said, adding that he also began gambling and selling drugs himself.

Ahmad said he became violent, starting fights with his family members, beating up his siblings and breaking things in the house.

"I would break everything at home: cups, fans, windows. My grandmother had a fixed deposit of 5,500 rupees. I took it from her as well. I stole my mother's jewelry. I stole utensils from home," he said.

Ahmad's mother, Hajira Bano (name changed), 47, remembers her son as an obedient and softhearted child before his addiction, which is now taking hold of thousands of youth in conflict-torn Kashmir.

"He used to wash his clothes and dishes. He would cook and mop the floor. But those are just past memories," she said.

A new form of addiction

In the early 1990s when the separatist insurgency was at its peak, drug abuse in Kashmir was mostly restricted to medicinal opiates such as morphine and codeine, or sedatives like benzodiazepines.

In recent years, however, hard street drugs like heroin have been taking hold of young people in the region.

The 10 patients currently admitted to the rehabilitation ward at IMHANS, which is associated with the Government Medical College in Srinagar, are aged 16-25. Most of them are addicted to heroin.

Official figures provided by IMHANS show the rapid rise in addiction from 2016 through 2019. In 2016, just 489 people were treated for drug abuse, by 2017, that number rose to 3,622, and to 7,420 by 2019. Around 4,000 patients have been treated so far in 2021.

Multiple rehabilitation centers, many of which are run by the region's police, report a similar rising trend of drug addiction among the youth.

Before bringing Ahmad to the hospital, Bano warned him of ending her life if he did not seek treatment.

"Because of his addiction, I am suffering from depression," Bano said. She added that dozens of young men like her son have become drug addicts in their village.

"There are many drug peddlers, including women, and they are ruining the lives of our children," she said. "We want an end to this."

The influence of 'narcoterrorism'

Officials in the northern town of Kupwara told DW that drug addiction is becoming more common as "huge quantities of heroin" are brought in from Pakistan.

"It is primarily to make the youth addicted here. This is also done as part of a narcoterrorism scheme to generate money, which is used to finance militancy," a senior police official told DW.

A youth from Marat village of Handawara, close to the Line of Control, which divides the territory between India and Pakistan, said drugs such as heroin were very easy to find in the area.

Hussain, 20, dropped out of school three years ago and started working in construction, as his family could not afford his education.

One time when he returned from work, Hussain collapsed to the floor. 

"We saw strange habits in him. He had become weak. He would vomit food, we thought he was sick until our neighbor informed us that he is an addict," Hussain's mother, Shahzada (name changed), told DW.

"I used to use cannabis first, then my friends told me to try heroin as it will make me feel good. It is easily available in our district as long as you have money," Hussain said. "I would spend at least 2,000 rupees per day even though I did not have that money."

His addiction has taken a toll on his whole family.

"My husband is a laborer and he earns just 400-500 a day. My son beats us and takes that money," Shahzada said. "He stole the cattle which was our source of income. He stole phones, he took everything that he could. My daughter once attempted suicide because he took credit from everyone in the village, and then people came to harass us."

A rise in psychiatric problems

Experts say a rise in mental health problems is responsible for the growing scourge of substance abuse in Kashmir. Reports of mental health troubles have seen an exponential rise during lockdown measures implemented over the past year, as residents have experienced significant financial stress, as the economy has been badly hit each time.

Dr. Farishta Khursheed, who works at IMHANS, told DW that many young people also consume drugs "due to peer pressure."

"But then we also ask: How did they meet such people?" she said.

"Some have problems at home. Some have relationship issues or suicidal tendencies, some have suffered economic losses. In most of the cases, heroin is present," she said.