And, a 91-year-old Col Dr Rajinder Singh is responsible for helping them reclaim their agency and get a new lease of life.
Decades of experience in addiction psychiatry have helped him understand the psyche of these people.
“Army personnel are exposed to highly stressful situations. Long periods away from home can affect their mental health,” he points out.
Singh, who was part of the Indo-China war (1962), knew first-hand the kind of emotional turbulence that accompanies the call of duty.
So, today, as he watches addicts regain their autonomy, the feeling of pride is personal.
Singh completed his MBBS degree in 1957, then trained under Dr Vidya Sagar, the father of Indian psychiatry, at the Government Mental Hospital, Amritsar.
While the war took up his time over the next few years, he later pursued an advanced course in psychiatry at the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, followed by an M D in Psychiatry from PGIMER, Chandigarh, in 1979.
In the late 1980s, Singh began voluntary service at the Kalgidhar Trust, a non-profit focused on improving the lives of rural communities in North India.
He was urged by its President, Shree Baba Iqbal Singh, to start an arm to treat youth afflicted with drug abuse.
This is now a 30-bed centre, complete with state-of-the-art facilities, spirituality, meditation, yoga, sports activities, pharmacies and laboratories staffed by medical officers and social workers.
But when it started in 2004, there was no building, infrastructure or mental health professionals.
Gradually, the number of patients increased to more than 20, and a community hall in the adjoining village was acquired from the panchayat (village body).
In 2007, a new building was constructed at Cheema Sahib, now known as Akal Drug De-Addiction Centre.
The emphasis at the centre is on a holistic treatment plan, which will help the residents get back on track.
What motivates him to keep at this mission? The desire to see youth walk the right path.