Though the faith disapproves of alcohol consumption, addiction is an open secret within some Sikh communities.

Davina Jethwa speaks to an organisation trying to help the community and a man who knows the struggles of addiction within the religion all too well.

In Sikh holy scriptures, the Guru Granth Sahib, the use of intoxicants are explicitly discouraged.

One hymn says “do not drink the false wine at all”, and those who are initiated into the Khalsa (a group of defenders of the faith) are strictly prohibited.

In spite of the faith’s teachings, a study last year conducted by not-for-profit organisation, Sikh Recovery Network (SRN) and British Sikh Report teams highlighted the scale of alcohol consumption within the community.

From the sample data collected, the report showed that 12% of women and 18% of men drink more than 10 units of alcohol a day - nearly the recommended limit for an entire week.

This culture of drinking has also been found in Gravesend’s prominent Sikh community.

“The initial reaching out for help seems to be difficult in Sikh communities,” says Ranjoti Singh Badesha who is a recovering alcoholic.

“I've experienced it myself, where my mum and dad tried everything possible to try and get me to stop.

“It is very difficult to try and get through to people but a lot of people in these communities - the young lads and the older men, whoever it may be, they're all dying – all because they were too scared or the families were too scared to let it out and ask for help.

“I've seen so many Sikh lads die. Women as well because they get caught in addiction. It seems to be a lot more difficult for women because they don't want the girls being known for drinking and partying."

The 29-year-old says his addiction started when he was 12, after having a difficult childhood where he would often feel isolated and alone.

He’d copy behaviour he’d witnessed and lash out at other children.

Ranjoti, from Painters Ash, Gravesend said: “I’d smash windows and bully other children because I felt I had the right - I felt like they had to feel my pain as well so I hit teachers and was suspended.

“My addiction started from year seven. It started off with cannabis just to join in and be a part of something – I found a bit of love and protection from my classmates - and so I'd continue that behaviour.

“But when alcohol creeped in, it gave me a different sense. The feelings I had as a child seemed to just disappear for a short period of time.”

The then teenager would drink until he would black out and started to pick up other substances which he said made him feel safe and confident.

He recalled: “It made me feel like someone I've always wanted to be.

“Then that weekend drinking turned into weekday drinking and then as that slowly progressed, I started getting withdrawal symptoms.

“It made me feel like someone I've always wanted to be...”

“That led me to the morning drink, just having that one or two in the morning just to take those withdrawals off.”

Ranjoti denied that he had an issue for many years and thought that alcohol was the solution to his problems.

Reflecting on the lowest moments of his addiction, Ranjoti said: “Those feelings, the beliefs and values and self honesty and just my confidence started washing away and I'd start feeling like an existence rather than just living.

“I felt like I was just working for the next drink or the drug and it escalated pretty quick.

“It wasn't the world crumbling, it was me crumbling inside.”

According to Kent County Council, people belonging to minority groups often do not seek help for alcohol addiction for a wide range of reasons including concerns around the stigma of reaching out for support, until they experience serious health issues.

This results in some minority groups suffering well above average rates of alcohol-related health issues. Sikh men, for example, experience higher rates of liver cirrhosis.

It’s an issue the council are committed to tackling with specialist help at the Grand Healthy Living Centre, in Gravesend, an area where 13% of the population is from an Indian background.

Seeking help can be limited by cultural barriers in mainstream services, The Sikh Recovery Network works to help any Sikh struggling with alcohol and drug dependency, and more locally, Gravesend based charity, Rethink Sahayak also offers specialist services.

Founder of the network, Jaz Rai OBE, believes the prominence in the community is linked to the Punjabi culture.

He said: “Punjab has a strong agricultural background, and alcohol consumption is often associated with the farming community.

“Celebratory drinking may be seen as a way to unwind and socialise after a day of hard work.”

He says that same work ethic was brought over when the Punjabi’s began to migrate from India in the 1950s.

“Punjabi culture places a strong emphasis on hospitality and celebration, peer pressure is also a huge factor and young people look at the elders who will encourage them to drink sometimes,” said Mr Rai.

”Alcohol addiction is a taboo in the Punjabi community because there is a lot of shame, guilt and fear of being ostracised from its community by some problem drinkers.

“Underlying issues could be someone who is unhappy with their life and feel they can’t cope with life’s challenges.”

But there is help out there.

After two attempts at taking his own life, Ranjoti realised he had to do something about his problem.

He said: “When I had that moment of clarity, where I looked back, and looked at how many times I kept messing things up, I saw that nothing was ever going to change and I don't want to die. So what do I do?

“And that's when I asked for help and I reached out.”

With the support of his family he was admitted into a treatment centre where he became openly honest about his addiction for the first time.

“To me, an alcoholic was that person sitting on a park bench drinking but I've learned that an alcoholic is someone who, once he picks up the drink he cannot put it down,” he added.

“Today I can accept it. I'm an alcoholic in recovery, not in active addiction now. It's a gift. Sobriety is a gift for people like me."

The now 29-year-old is just a few weeks away from making it one year sober and says that being clean is a miracle.

“I don’t know what God is but I'll just get on my knees and pray because my prayers are getting answered so I'll continue doing that sort of thing.

“I enjoy life and I find life worth living. I'm building bonds now, I'm building relationships with my family - I’ve caused them a lot of pain, a lot of shame and guilt around the things I've done.

“I know I can't change the past, but I can certainly do something positive today to change my future.

“I've got a lot of good things going - I'm looking to set up recovery meetings and I've got a big speech at the Gravesend temple coming up [Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara].

“I know there's a way out now. It's just beautiful - how I've changed in such a way.”

To those struggling with addiction, Ranjoti says: “You're gonna die basically and you won't be coming back. You're going to leave a lot of damage for the families - those children are going to be without a father and wife without a husband.

“If people can just express how they really feel and just ask for that help, the help comes running because I know exactly how those people feel and how they think.

“It's hard to get through to them, but I think, if we keep progressing, the way Jaz is doing, maybe one day a message will be carried on in the Sikh communities because for some reason, it seems to be like, a trend, it's part of the culture sort of thing.”

For help visit the Sikh Recovery Network website or Talk to Frank.

Support can also be found through Change, Grow, Live in west Kent and the Forward Trust in east Kent which are both supported by Kent County Council.