Lokesh Amravati ka rehne wala tha. Middle-class par sanskaaron se bhara hua ghar.
Papa school me clerk the, roz subah time par school jaana, registers aur files sambhalna, aur shaam ko thakaan ke saath ghar lautna. Maa ek classical dance teacher thi, ghar me ghunghroo ki awaaz, shanti aur discipline saath saath rehte the.
Lokesh ek steel factory me manager tha. Monthly income ₹60,000. Factory me labour handle karna, production targets, shifts, sab uske responsibility me tha. Ghar walon ko lagta tha beta life me set ho gaya hai.
Papa aksar kehte,
“Humne jitni mehnat ki, tu usse aage nikal gaya.”
Maa ka bharosa aur expectations Lokesh ke liye sab kuch the.
Par factory ke baad, uski zindagi ka ek hissa chupchaap phone ke screen ke andar ghus chuka tha.
How Gambling Addiction Started
Steel factory ke lunch break me ek colleague ne casually bola,
“Bhai, aaj match hai. Online betting try kar ₹500 se start hota hai.”
Lokesh ne pehle mazaak samjha.
Par night shift ke baad phone scroll karte waqt ads dikhne lage, Easy money, quick win.
Ek raat curiosity jeet gayi.
Usne pehla bet lagaya, ₹500.
Match jeet gaya. Account me ₹1,000.
Wo sirf paisa nahi tha, wo feeling thi.
Stress relief. Excitement. Control ka illusion.
“Bas ek baar tha,” Lokesh ne khud se kaha.
Par dimag ne us jeet ko yaad rakh liya.
How Addiction Slowly Took Control
₹500 ke bets ₹2,000 hue.
₹2,000 se ₹5,000.
Kabhi ₹10,000 jeet, kabhi ₹25,000 haar.
Factory me machines chal rahi hoti thi, par Lokesh ka dimag odds aur score calculate kar raha hota tha.
Raat ko neend kam ho gayi. Phone hamesha haath me.
Maa poochti,
“Beta, itna chup kyun rehta hai?”
Lokesh gussa ho jata,
“Office ka pressure hai.”
Sach ye tha ki pressure office ka nahi, screen ka tha.
Losses Due to Gambling Addiction
Teen saal ke andar Lokesh ₹10 lakh se zyada haar chuka tha.
Savings zero. Credit card limit full.
Phir usne doston se paise lena shuru kiya.
“Bas ek match aur… sab clear ho jayega,”
yeh jhoot wo roz bolta, doston se bhi, aur khud se bhi.
Calls badhne lagi. Messages me gussa.
Par ghar walon ko abhi bhi kuch pata nahi tha.
The Realisation Moment (Turning Point)
Ek shaam achanak 4–5 dost Lokesh ke ghar aa gaye.
Gate par hi awaaz aayi,
“Lokesh bahar aa! Aaj paisa chahiye.”
Papa ghabra gaye. Maa kitchen se bhaag kar aayi.
Ek dost gusse me bola,
“Uncle, aapke bete ne humse lakhon rupaye liye hain. Phone bhi nahi uthata.”
Papa ne kaanpti awaaz me poocha,
“Lokesh… yeh sach hai?”
Lokesh chup khada raha. Aankhen jhuki hui.
Aur phir wo pal aaya jo sab kuch tod gaya.
Lokesh ke maa-baap dono doston ke pair pakad kar ro pade.
“Hum nahi jaante the… please maaf kar do.
Hum dheere dheere aapke saare paise chuka denge.”
Steel factory ka manager, jo roz logon ko command deta tha,
aaj apne maa-baap ko zameen par jhuka hua dekh raha tha, sirf uski wajah se.
Us raat Lokesh poori tarah se toot gaya.
Recovery Journey
Agli subah Lokesh ne apna Android phone bech diya.
Ghar aakar ek simple keypad wala phone table par rakh diya.
Usi din usne credit card aur debit card dono papa ke haath me de diye.
“Jab paiso ki zarurat padegi, main aapse maangunga… aur bataunga kis kaam ke liye chahiye.”
Papa sirf utne hi paise dete the, jitne sach me zaroori hote.
Subah jaldi uthna shuru kiya.
Jogging shoes pehne aur bahar nikal gaya.
Pehle 10 minute. Phir aadha ghanta.
Jogging ke baad roz 1 ghanta meditation.
Kabhi mann bhatakta, kabhi aankhon me aansu aa jate.
Par Lokesh uthta nahi tha.
Free time me maa ke saath kitchen me haath batane laga
sabzi kaatna, bartan lagana.
Maa kuch nahi kehti, bas dekhte rehti.
Shaam ko papa ke school ke documentation aur files me madad karta.
Paper aur pen ki awaaz uske liye screen se zyada safe lagti thi.
Kabhi jab free time bach jata,
wo purane doston ko phone karta, sirf baat karne ke liye.
Kabhi kabhi urge aati thi.
Par shortcut ab uske paas nahi tha.
Aur isi liye recovery dheere, par sacchi thi.
Life After Addiction
Lokesh ki life aaj bhi perfect nahi hai.
Karze abhi chal rahe hain. Trust dheere dheere wapas aa raha hai.
Par ghar me jo shanti hai, wo nayi hai.
Maa ab use kaam bol deti hai bina dare.
Papa jab paise dete hain, to sirf note nahi, bharosa bhi dete hain.
Lokesh maanta hai,
“Main jeeta nahi hoon…
bas roz thoda thoda sahi reh raha hoon.”
Aur kabhi kabhi, recovery ka matlab bas itna hi hota hai.
Disclaimer:
Yeh kahani sirf awareness aur samajhne ke purpose ke liye likhi gayi hai. Gambling addiction ek gambhir samasya hai. Agar aap ya aapka koi apna is problem se joojh raha hai, to professional madad lena zaroori hai.
