Promise commits to her promise of being drug free
ALEXANDRA – Late mom's ghost kick-starts addict's recovery.
An old photograph changed a young Alex woman’s life for the better.
After Promise Tshabalala (23) saw a photo of herself aged seven and being cuddled at a beach by her late mother, she was able to kick her drug habit.
This occurred when she saw her mother’s good looks and was told about her conduct, humaneness and independence through a hair care business.
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According to South African National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (Sanca), Tshabalala’s story mirrors the life struggles and tragedies of hundreds of the township’s drug and substance addicted youth who voluntarily present themselves for help to stop the habit.
It tells of their cries for assistance that go unheeded. “Once hooked, addicts forsake families and community support systems in preference of addicted companionship and a hopeless life on the street,” Tshabalala said in a teary confession to Alex News.
She added that the drugs are supplied by known peddlers in the community, sold in full view to young users who live on the streets, steal from the community to pay for the habit and are often beaten to a pulp, killed or maimed by the same community as a form of retribution, instead of helping them in spite of their obviously forlorn and beseeching faces.
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She claimed to have been an above average pupil and talented dancer with a bright future until she was introduced to cigarettes and later graduated to drugs while in high school where they were freely available and used by many daily.
She managed to complete her matric exams in 2013 obtaining a senior national certificate, but below her expectations. Later, her dad paid for her to attend a technical course which she regrets not completing as the addiction demanded her life and time.
Seeing the photo of her mother gave her the resolve to quit after losing years of her life to drugs in the company of mostly male addicts while living on the streets. This caused tremendous pain for her family which cared about her and loved her, she said. Tshabalala added that she also lost her friends’ support system.
She said it was a lonely time with occasional bouts of ill health.
Read: Two Alex youngsters return home drug-free
However, she has now found a spiritual path and feels on the way to a full recovery. “Against the power of drug and substance addiction that entraps and only releases those committed to stop the habit, I have reconciled with family and friends. They believe in my potential for success in any career of my choice if I remain clean,” Tshabalala said.
Seeing the many happy faces of other children with mothers and fathers also her to stay clean. “The family welcomed me with no ill feelings and encouraged me to seek help from Sanca through a programme I commit to complete, and to get treatment at a clinic for my anxiety and depression.”
Tshabalala now volunteers at childcare centres and urges children to refrain from drugs. Her Bible has become her spiritual companion.
She and 17 others recently completed a free hair grooming course by American company Dahl with each of them provided R20 000 worth of kit to kick-start small businesses.
She hopes she will be a success like her mother. “I will also use the money raised to complete the technical course in honour of my father.”
