Hidden agenda at Capt's Longhouse

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, my 2nd mate Asaari and meself.

Capt Says: March 29, 2009 at 11:36 pm

Matt, Candana 287

No worries take your time.

Am just trying to help those that want to help themselves and change for the better saja bila mereka datang berkerja on the island or at my joint i.e. Capt’s Longhouse which is a backpacker’s hideaway to chill off after/during their journey of discovery in life.

Yang sedeh-nya budak budak local kita tak sama dgn budak budak dari luar negeri yang sanggup belajar/experience/exposure to challenges plus hardship during their discovery years in life !.
Our local boys,,,Mereka hanya penting to find the easy way out,,,enjoy for the day ! - nothing plan for the future,,,, as such senang get involved with drugs etc from what I see depan mata saya lah.
Where I come from,,,,i.e. saya beri mereka responsibilities in running a business at my place on the island.Ajar mereka accounts/sales/marketing/public relation dan most important responsibility plus belief in self confident !.
So far ada yang bite my hands but banyak success stories juga in the past 20 odd years since I started this “Hard Knock University of Life” for the local boys/girls.

My method is based on self trust and individual self wanting to change !.
The last guy that I had to remove from my place was taking/stealing things from our customers/meself and he admitted that he can’t help it since he needed his shots desperately at times !.
Am no expert but alternative ‘medicine’ such as air ketom was not enough for him,,,,,,,,,he really and badly needs his heroin shots from what I gathered directly from him !.
He now found himself another place to stay on the island i.e. ,,,,,,,,,,at the camp site but I think he is now the island pusher in order to sustain his drug habit. He is again a wanted man right now but hidding from the authority. But he is alway welcome at the longhouse for food and drinks at any time still yaaaa !.
Most unfortunate since he was just released from the Pusat about 3 months ago after so called treatment from the Govn. etc. ,,,,,,,,,,,,Something is still not right here-lah,,,,,,what is not happening ?.

So bila you have time,,,,please tell me what more is missing from my simple method ?.
Am very friendly but strict with the boys/girls if they work/stay on the island.
When i ban anyone from the island, they are gone for ever !


Reply from Candana 287,,,,,,,,, and thanks from the Capt too ,,,,,,yaaa !

Capt, concerning Facebook: Would you believe that I was pasting your name in the Facebook “Search” when I saw what came in the email - you had Added me first! What a coincidence - and I would have been more than honoured to have added you first had I known you were on Facebook. These projects that you’ve done/are doing for the drug users - I’ve been on both sides of the track, gone on both directions and I know what this entails… you are someone uncommon, Capt.

Actually that is obvious enough: the fact that you are actually living on the island in the here and now - instead of people like me who “dream of” - is more than enough proof. And these hopes and intentions - and the implemention especially - for trying to do something about the abuse of drugs… I bow to you. And that’s not near enough to show my appreciation, admiration and respect for your efforts.
I’ve had my feet in both worlds, and right now I’m in no-man’s land probably - of not being an active addict, but not in the `normal’ world either. The second comes about due to the prejudice and at times even malice by some of the `respectable’ in the `normal’ world that most of you live in. That’s one of the reasons why and how I come to distrust - this malevolence and spite of certain people are real, unfortunately; as I have stated in the previous post. And if you’d look closely, you’ll see how this one affects the efforts of people like you. I might go deeper into this as I go along.
If you were only just about to start with this, I’d actually do my level best to dissuade you! “But don’t I want people to help these addicts?!” Yes, I do - but I also don’t want nice and decent people like you to get burnt, be bitterly disappointed and then not just turn your backs fully but also “with a vengeance”. T
This has happened before, especially with people whose `niat’ (intentions) weren’t purely “to help prevent, treat and rehabilitate addicts”. Many are individuals (1)who were in it “for the glory… chest-thumping value… image conscious types”; (2) plus some who were plain naive, too optimistic and too much into the “positive thinking” psychology. So, with such weak reasons in Number 1, they are out at the first sign of trouble.

After reading what Capt had written - the good and bad experiences - there’s nothing for me to add actually… you are in the circle of things, you know how it is. And the fact that you have not given up - this is to be rated as “Good” and “Successful”. Or is some armchair critic looking for “100% - or at least 80% being clean after three years to only rate that?… that these 80% pray five times daily, fast the whole 30 days of Ramadhan, walks around with a tasbih and wears a made-in-china kupiah?
What you are doing is the nitty-gritty stuff - of “everyday living”. My standard of measurement is simple: “If they are better NOW than previously, that’s good”.
If I may just add, Capt - Stick with the carrot-and-stick. Be firm but fair and you’ll do allright with addicts - or anyone. But what I appreciate here of Capt is, “People get A chance”.

BTW some people somehow think that addicts are impressed with degrees or foreign universities - even of Psychology. Or even something directly related with drug treatment/rehabilitation. Or “lulusan usuludin Al- Azhar, MES-II-RRR” HAHA! Sorry for the scornful laughter, but I’ve seen these types… bombarding a ceramah for recovering addicts with assorted quranic verses and hadiths, of fire and brimstone and expecting the audience to be awed - including of them too, of course.
Sorry to give this feedback, ustaz-ustaz yang membaca, But this is what usually happens: (Scene at ceramah)… Favourite question among attendees is “Bila dia nak habis cakap?” (When is he going to stop talking?).
Instead of looking at why he has failed to reach and touch the attendees, the ustaz would just dismiss this as “Syaitan is preventing them from listening”. Yeah, and never *his* shortcomings… especially of him feeling he’s better than those listening (never mind the “Saya pun dok peringati diri saya”)… But his heart is really saying: “These are just drug addicts, while I’ve been to Mekah twice, bulan Ramadhan pulak tu, and can oft-quote a quranic verse every ten sentences…”
The fact is; people can sense this - what you think of the listeners and yourself is transmitted; and this is something *we* (I’m siding with the underdogs) can detect after just a few minutes. If you aren’t sincere, have prejudices against addicts; just save everyone from wasting time - DON’T give a talk, please. It will only result in more bad feelings.
BTW `outsiders’ would often tend to under-estimate not only the intelligence of addicts but also some of the addicts’ education and knowledge of things. The common impression is that these are “Form Three education, maybe can read only the Fatihah, work as contract labourers, jaga kereta…”
It’s not that these addicts are by nature not receptive and disrespectful - it’s what you are that will decide that. And you don’t built rapport in one hour… But people make this elementary mistake time and time again when dealing with addicts!
If there are the “best people” to reach the addict, it’s “someone who has also been there - and got back alive”. The addicts - they’ll listen to this kind… someone who speaks their language and knows what it’s like when you are down and out, the withdrawal pangs from heroin starting to manifest, with no drugs and only RM1 in your pocket, with no friend in the world… while everyone around you are so seemingly happy. These people are around - those in Narcotics Anonymous especially: These are people worth their weight in gold when it comes to influencing addicts for the better.
I’ll continue later - about the usage of substitutes: of “drinking beer is better than smoking heroin” - something along this line. But right now I have to continue with work. Later, Capt.