Drugs not dope – Quit and live life

If you are a youngster using drugs to forget about your problems, because of peer pressure, to be sociable or for any other reason… stop.

Not only could you suffer physical and emotional harm but you could also end up dead or hurt someone else.

The use and abuse of legal and illegal substances among youth in South Africa is of major concern. The age at which children are becoming exposed to drugs is far younger now than before.

According to Louina le Roux, the South African National Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependence (SANCA)National Co-ordinator, the number of youngsters using drugs as well as the range of illegal drugs available to them is increasing.

The use of alcohol among youngsters has also become a way of life and most social activities revolve around the use of alcohol.

During the 2014/2015 reporting year, 22 percent of the number of people in treatment at SANCA centres were between the ages of 14 and 17. According to Le Roux, the primary drugs of choice are dagga and alcohol followed by heroin/opiates. “The trend to use mixed drugs such as Nyaope is prevalent in Gauteng and Mpumalanga and of equal concern. Drug usage also depends to a certain extent on area,” said Le Roux.

 Why quit?

Drugs can affect a person in a number of ways. Le Roux said, “Drugs that affect the brain do so by changing the brain’s chemistry. The brain adapts to the drug which means it will need more of the chemical each time as the user attempts to reproduce the first high. Long-term or severe abuse of chemical substances may cause major physical and emotional harm to the body. The long-term effects may include damage to almost all the organs, neurological disorders and adverse effects on the central nervous system.”

She added that over time, continued use leads to reduced motor skills and verbal abilities and could permanently affect the learning abilities of the user, especially when they start using at an early age.

“They may also suffer malnutrition, gum disease, tooth loss, frequent nose bleeds, deep chest coughs and potentially fatal conditions.

“With drug addiction, prevention is always better than cure. By the time people get to SANCA their lives are unmanageable and their physical and mental health is usually poor. Parents and other people need to talk to children about drug abuse early,” said Le Roux.

 Impact on family

Having counselled a number of parents, Henning Jacobs, the trauma support co-ordinator at ER24, said, “Children must know that their choice to use drugs influences everyone they love and care for.

For a parent, finding out that their child is on drugs is devastating. After finding out, parents are in a state of shock.

“Parents experience anger, sadness, hurt, fear and frustration. They feel betrayed by their own children. Parents believe their children will never use drugs. They want only the best in life for their children,” said Jacobs. The emotional impact on parents is immense and this influences their jobs, physical and mental health and family responsibilities.

If there are siblings, they are also affected. Parents often have to spend less time with the other children to help the child that has a drug problem. “That can make the other children feel like they are being punished or neglected even though they did nothing wrong. This causes turmoil. The family joy fades away. Family members almost drift apart from each other. The whole dynamics of the family changes. Even when the child is ‘clean’, there will be fear of a relapse,” said Jacobs.

What to do?

Jacobs said the best thing any parent can do is support and love their children unconditionally. “Coming out of the addiction is difficult and many children in the past stated the only thing that helped them was love from their parents.

“It is difficult for parents to shower their children with love after finding out about their addiction. However, it can help. The problem is also that parents often want a quick result and demand children get over the addiction. A child can also have a relapse. There will be occasions when parents think about giving up. They should not. Instead, continue trying to help the child,” said Jacobs. He urged parents not to use fear or anger to help the child get over their drug addiction. “Anger and fear will only fuel the addiction. Rehabs and drug centres are there to attend to the child’s addiction through professional methods. What the child needs from parents is support and love,” he said. ER24’s Emergency Contact Centre can be reached 24 hours a day on 084 124 for any medical emergency.

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A child on drugs… a parent’s nightmare

Did everything humanly possible to ensure your child is safe but found they still chose a path that could destroy their life?

You are not alone. Quite often we hear parents question where they went wrong and what more they could have done to prevent their children from making the wrong choices.

One of these wrong choices is the use of drugs. Not only does it destroy the lives of the drug user but also the lives of the user’s family.

As part of its drug awareness campaign ER24 spoke to a drug addict’s father. Like several other parents, Vic* was loving, provided support and was always there for his son, his only child. Little did he know his son would become a drug addict.

Vic* found out his son, now 25 years old, was using drugs just after he turned 19 years of age.

“He said it started off as experiments. He was smoking marijuana for a long time. According to him, when he tried heroine he did not know what it was. He got hooked on it almost immediately.

“I was devastated. He always spoke about some of his friends who were on drugs and how he would never do it. When I found out, I was angry. I felt he was weak. I eventually calmed down and decided that we would address the problem together. That was easier said than done. It was frustrating as problems did not seem to come to an end,” said Vic*.

As his son’s addiction worsened, so did his behaviour. He had a complete change of personality. He drank excessively, was rude, violent and disrespectful. “He lost complete control of his life. He resorted to stealing from me. When he could not steal anymore from me he ended up on the streets where he continued to steal. He chose to live on the streets instead of in his home. It was difficult to see him in that condition,” said Vic*.

It did not take long for his son to end up in prison.

“He was arrested numerous times. I bailed him out a few times and got him into a rehab. However, the change did not last long. Short-term treatment had no effect at all,” said Vic*.

Vic’s* son had been to rehab five times. Vic* said there were times when he thought about giving up.

“What aggravated me the most was that he had a good upbringing, a good education and a good job. He is a qualified graphic designer. He was a very creative person and very good at what he did. He threw it all away for drugs. He also used to take pride in how he dressed and looked. This changed when he became a drug addict,” said Vic*. He added that it worried him when he looked at recovery statistics.

“Statistics I looked at showed that a small percentage of drug addicts actually recover. I thought this is what my son’s future would be. I was hurt. He is my only child and I found it difficult to see him that way. I thought about excluding him from my life but could never do it because he is my son. I just tried harder to help him,” said Vic*.

Realisation

Vic*s son eventually realised that he was destroying his life and that he needed help.

“Spending time in prison and losing a friend as a result of an overdose had an effect on him. Looking at some of his schoolmates and seeing what they achieved in their lives also bothered him. He had become alienated. He missed having friends and being in a relationship. He wanted help,” said Vic*.

Vic’s* son is back in rehab by choice. He will be spending about a year there.

“I believe it will work this time because he desperately wanted to go there. I believe he will change because he wants to live a normal life again. I believe he will change because he is tired of being regarded as a ‘nothing and no one’. I will not give up on him,” said Vic*.

He urged other children who are using drugs to seek help.

“There is no life being an addict. There is no such thing as recreational drugs. If my son was not on drugs he would be someone extremely successful today because of his talent. He lost five years of his life. Do not believe you are in control of your habit. You cannot control drugs. It will not only control you but destroy you and everybody around you mentally and financially,” he said.

Vic* said this experience has taught him the importance of tough love as a parent.

“We all learn from our mistakes and what I have learnt is that in order to help your child who is an addict, you have to use the tough love approach. When your child is an addict he or she is ‘not your child’. They lie, steal, manipulate and more to get what they want,” he said.

ER24’s 24-hour crisis counselling line can be reached on 084 124.