‘I didn’t eat or sleep, I smoked for three days nonstop’ – Gauteng opens rehab to help addicts

Drug addicts who steal for their daily fix have new hope after being accepted into a rehabilitation programme sponsored by local government.

Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi and social development, agriculture and rural development MEC Mbali Hlophe launched the first official intake of the Gauteng Anti-Substance Abuse Programme at the Dr F&F Centre in Cullinan yesterday.

Drug addicts can get their lives back on track

“We have indicated we are going to target substance abuse and focus on nyaope and service users [drug addicts] who have heeded the call of the premier to get their lives back on track,” Hlophe said.

“It’s a difficult task for individuals wanting to get on the straight and narrow and to get their lives back on track.”

Hlophe added that many young men were affected by drug abuse or addiction. “We are here to encourage them. This path they have taken is a difficult one, but it’s the right one,” she said.

24-hour Gauteng Anti-Substance Abuse helpline

Patients admitted to the centre were referred by the 24-hour Gauteng Anti-Substance Abuse helpline that was launched in October, while others were walk-in patients.

“You have to change the activities from the negative things they have been doing into positive output,” said Hlophe.

Skills development

“The skills development component of our programme is crucial because it can capture their interest. “It’s almost as if replacing the negative with something positive.”

She said the programme offered agriculture, which allowed users to get involved in the sector and get a sense of the green economy.

“We want to expose them to as many skill sets as possible, not just agriculture but also solar-making, brickmaking… anything from construction to the beauty industry, if interested,” she said.

Stories

Eben du Plessis arrived at the centre to be screened and said he felt better.

“I have been clean for six months. I used to spike crystal meth in my arm. But I realise now, staying clean is a choice,” he said.

Du Plessis entered the centre to help him further rehabilitate after he was recently released from prison. “I am here to work on myself. I need to learn life skills and restart my life. In the outside world, there are many challenges that weren’t in rehab.”

Du Plessis said he got addicted to drugs after he battled to get over losing a loved one. “I started drugs and stopped caring. First, it was on a weekend basis and, before I knew it, it was daily and then I dropped out of school.”

Levante Hill was also admitted to the centre yesterday. “I had some problems at home and my mother said things to me that hurt me, so when I went out and made friends, they were the wrong friends because they introduced me to the pipe.”

Hill said he first started smoking casually but it quickly became a daily habit. “I started stealing from home and people, but I stole the most from myself. When you rob yourself, you know you are finished,” he said, adding it was his choice to be admitted.

“Many days I didn’t eat or sleep, I just smoked for three days nonstop,” he said.

Mogau Tswai has been clean for more than six weeks and was part of a group that completed the first programme. He said he used everything, from crystal meth and kat, to cocaine and mandrax.

“One thing I learned here is that it is not about how much I fall or how far, but about how I get up,” he said.

Tswai said the centre helped him recover. “You can’t do it alone. Without this centre, I don’t think I could have done it because it’s not easy,” he said.

ALSO READ: Gauteng government launches 24-hour anti-substance abuse helpline

– marizkac@citizen.co.za