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DAIRRC, SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITY LIVING CENTRE FOR ADDICTION REHABILITATION AND RECOVERY IN MUMBAI - INDIA.

D.A.I.R.R.C is one of the oldest and most successful community living centres for addiction rehabilitation and recovery in Mumbai, India. Registered as a Charitable Trust since 1983, DAIRRC is known for healing and rehabilitating people with alcohol addiction, drug dependency, clinical depression and all sorts of behavioural disorders through its recovery program that helps people to understand and resolve the causes behind their addiction problems.

Founded by the late Dr. Yusuf Merchant, who expired in November 2022, the centre is now managed by a professional Board of Trustees, with a consultant psychiatrist and a consultant psychologist on call. The rehabilitation process remains unchanged and continues on the same parameters as designed by Doc.

This quaint community living centre is located in serene, verdant surroundings at the foothills of Haji Malang on the outskirts of Mumbai. The facility has comfortable partly airconditioned living accommodations, with a modest swimming pool, an outdoor gymnasium, areas for outdoor games and quite a few nooks and crannies for silent contemplation. The atmosphere is informal, homely and highly conducive for gaining a fresh perspective on life management.

Our rehabilitation process is committed to evoke recovery on the physical, mental, spiritual and social planes. It enables all addicts to get in touch with themselves and their shortcomings, in order to enable them to overcome them.

Our centre does not believe in medicinal treatment but instead emphasises on curing addiction through a healthy lifestyle, counselling, therapy, group healing, friendships, and includes mental exercises/techniques that help identification and understanding of one’s addictive personality. This thereby ensures the management of everyday stressors of life in positive ways to eventually achieve a successful drug and alcohol addiction free life.

We pride ourselves in being one of the most successful community living centres dedicated to addiction rehabilitation, that has catered to and rehabilitated people suffering from all kinds of addictions be it substance abuse, alcoholism, depression, eating disorders, gambling, anxiety and bipolar disorders. Our continuous success in rehabilitating addicts stems from our community living philosophy and continuous support system which also helps addicts to reintegrate into real life after their rehabilitation time is over.

WHY CHOOSE DAIRRC, Drug Abuse Information Rehabilitation & Research Centre?

The founder of DAIRRC, premier community living centre in Mumbai, late Dr Yusuf Merchant was barely seen as a doctor to the inhabitants and was more like a family member as he provided a strong support system to all the patients and even their families. We are committed to continuing his legacy.

For the first 15 years, the rehabilitation program was run at the late doctor’s home. There was a huge success rate due to the unlimited therapies related to the brain, holistic living approach, strong friendships that formed between the addicts and a strong focus on the positive side of life. This made him move the community living centre to the outskirts of Mumbai in order to be able to cater to the growing demand rate and the increased number of patients.

DAIRRC strongly believes in a medicine free treatment and helps addicts lead a medicine free life. This is one of the reason for the high success rate of recovery amongst addicts from DAIRRC. The recovery program had successfully managed to help patients wean off and cope without the medicines they were dependent on for years. This is done by helping them incorporate healthier and more sustainable coping mechanisms.

In the last four decades the community living centre has seen a success rate of 85 percent from those who have completed the entire program and has gained a lot of recognition as a luxury community living and substance abuse prevention centre.

WHAT MAKES DAIRRC DIFFERENT.

Dr Yusuf Merchant was one of those rare healers who chose to use his instinct and experiential wisdom in order to design one of the most successful substance abuse rehabilitation and recovery programs in the world. His knowledge of addiction was not limited to what he learnt from books, but was tremendously enhanced by his personal experience of living with addicts, understanding and empathising with their pain, identifying with their motivating factors, successfully gaining their trust and then putting them on the road to recovery.

His community living centre at Kushivalli in Maharashtra is one of those rare places on earth, where an addict is treated as an intelligent and sensitive human being, rather than as a criminal or retard, which is the case in most other recovery centres. Our rehab process is purely voluntary. We do not admit anyone by force.

DAIRRC activities encompass all fields involved in the Prevention, Identification, Rehabilitation and Research of Substance Abuse of drug addicts, alcoholism and depression.

DAIRRC is committed to substance abuse prevention strategies, including rehabilitation through community living of drug addicts, implementation of drug demand reduction and HIV Prevention strategies and research in the causes and effects of drug abuse.

Dr. Yusuf Merchant also wrote a book in 2018 ‘Happyness : Life Lessons from A Creative Addict’ which included principles garnered from his own life experiences to help anyone and everyone achieve that one thing which we all are seeking ‘ultimate – HAPPINESS’. In this book, the master of mindfulness offered forty-two different ways to live a more meaningful, peaceful and fulfilling life. He talked about the use of visualisation techniques to achieve our dreams by giving his own examples. In this book Dr Yusuf Merchant brought together scientific theories on the functioning of the brain and how it alters under stress, depression and addiction and used the same in his community living centre to help addicts heal and achieve a lifetime of happiness.

I joined Dr. Yusuf Merchant’s community living program in 1988. I have been clean of substances for over 30 years and living a joyful life since. In the last 30 years I have found it safe to approach Doc who is a very good human being and also my mentor.
Pearl

Pearl

Colaba, Mumbai, India

Dr Merchant has been a brother father and saviour all in one for me then. My world had completely collapsed and he helped in putting all the pieces together. I have a friend for life and I am and always will be eternally grateful to him for being in my life.
Jayesh

Jayesh

Cuffe Parade, Mumbai, India

I learnt to smile and laugh again, I could enjoy the basic pleasures of a coffee or music without being intoxicated. Dr. Merchant was often my friend, brother and a mentor.
Rocky

Rocky

New Delhi, India

Dr. Yusuf Merchant or as I fondly call him, Baa has been there for me through thick and thin, through my illness and good health since I was 5 years old. Undoubtedly, the most selfless man I know. I am chasing my dreams only because he made me believe in myself.
Haya

Haya

Columbia, USA

The programme created and run by Dr Merchant and his team is the best rehabilitation programme for substance misuse and associated issues. My experiences at this programme have been very positive not just for myself but for my family too. I would like to state that my beautiful life today would not be possible if I did not go to Dr Merchants rehab.
Nick

Nick

Middlesex, United Kingdom

I’ve never met someone who is more devoted to helping others. He had a lot of patience, empathy and compassion for me during the toughest times on my life. For a man that started treating drug addicts from His living room to eventually be able to help hundreds this is a commendable achievement.
Hitesh

Hitesh

Bedfordshire, United Kingdom

My life had to hit rock bottom due to my drug use. I got clean due to the programme and support I received has change my life. I am grateful to Dr Merchant and the programme as still maintain abstinent. Today because of the programme I am clean and sober and have been abstinent 17 years.
Ramesh

Ramesh

Harrow, United Kingdom

I had resided at Dr. Yusuf Merchant’s programme in 2019. During my stay, land was my home, and ‘Doc’ my mentor, guide and friend. I have always felt safe, and secure and cared for, while being equipped with life management skills.
Neeta

Neeta

New Delhi, India

I have know Dr Yusuf Merchant since 2009 and Im proud to call him a close friend and mentor who conducts himself to the highest professional standards. He has helped me and countless others in making us better human beings.
Salim

Salim

Colaba, Mumbai, India

This program is a life skills management program which has taught me how to lead a better life. Sincerely grateful to Doctor Yusuf Merchant. I have known doctor Merchant to conduct himself to the highest ethical standards & wholeheartedly trust.
Smruti

Smruti

Mumbai, India

Doc was very instrumental in understanding me. He is a very kind person and spent time with me. He welcomed me to his home and family. My relationships today with my family is very good. Today I am clean for 17 years thanks to Dr. Yusuf Merchant and everyone at the rehabilitation centre.
Manish

Manish

Marine Drive, Mumbai, India

DAIRRC is one of the few places where addicts are treated as sick people and not as criminals or retards. We recognize the fact that an addict is a sensitive, perceptive and intelligent person with exceptional potential, who has unfortunately gone astray. Land is the proverbial home and hearth, where every prodigal son and daughter is always welcome to visit and heal.

Rehabilitation is the most important aspect of recovery from any form of addiction. Any addict can be detoxified or made to stop. But a rehabilitation program is necessary to ensure that an addict stays stopped and becomes productive.

True rehabilitation happens when an addict is provided with a safe haven accompanied by proper care and counselling to evoke recovery on four planes viz., the physical, the mental, the social and spiritual.

- Dr. Yusuf Merchant (1956 – 2022)

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Our Team of Experts

Ayesha Khan

AYESHA KHAN

Ayesha is a clinical psychologist, certified NLP Practitioner and a people oriented person. She has several years of experience working in psychiatric wards and as a therapist. She is a well-being enthusiast and an animal lover. She believes her core values of authenticity and empathy guide her work.

Dr Rohann Bokdawala

DR ROHANN BOKDAWALA

Dr Rohann Bokdawala our main psychiatrist at DAIRRC took up psychiatry at Seth GS medical College & Kem Hospital. In 2013 he was felicitated by the Union Minister of Health with a Gold medal. His mission remains to increase awareness of mental health and give programmers a holistic & fulfilling experience. He also believes, psychiatry has come a long way where more and more people are realizing the importance of it in their day to day lives.

Shiirley Batiwala

SHIIRLEY BATIWALA

Shiirley Batiwala is a certified Iyengar yoga teacher who has also studied the yoga philosophy at the Santacruz Institute under Dr Jayadev and Hansaji. She has been practicing in south bombay for 24 yrs, she is a recovering heroin addict 33yrs sober, who has been closely associated with Dr Yusuf Merchant for as many years. She was one of Dr Merchant’s first programmers. Shiirley is now one of the key members of DAIRRC after Dr Merchant's demise. She is responsible for mentoring programmers and conducting yoga sessions regularly. She incorporates the philosophy of yoga with the teachings of Dr Merchant through which programmers lead a holistic, happy, sober, productive life.

Rahuul Kapoor

RAHUUL KAPOOR

Rahuul Kapoor, a former patient of our rehab center, now serves as our Lead Facilitator, bringing a wealth of personal experience and empathy to his role. Rahuul's own journey of overcoming addiction fuels his dedication to helping others on their path to recovery. With extensive knowledge in evidence-based therapies and a compassionate approach, he tailors treatment plans to address each individual's needs. Rahuul's unwavering commitment and belief in the potential of every person empower our patients to reclaim their lives and find lasting recovery.


"Learning * Unlearning * Discovering * Evolving
to lead a beautiful life."