POLOKWANE – Ten years ago, Willie Booyzen’s (32) life changed irrevocably when his sister died in a motorbike accident.
“I could not cope with her death and my wife at the time advised me to use cocaine to deal with my feelings. It suppressed all the feelings I could not deal with,” says Willie.
He says he only used over weekends at first, but after two months, he started using daily.
“Every second week I used more and more. At one point I used 10g at a time.
“You start losing all feelings for everyone around you. I was married twice and pushed my wives away. I had no feelings left for my wives and pushed my parents away as well.”
He says his father had to keep the keys to the safe where they kept the gun on him at all time as his mother wanted to shoot him. His parents eventually kicked him out of the house, but kept praying for a miracle.
“My mother was in the mall one day when she met an old family friend who asked her about me. She told him everything and he told her about a guy in his church who went through the same thing. So my dad asked me if I wanted help and I said yes, and that is when I met Greg Nunes,” he says.
Greg is also a recovering drug addict, and he met with Willie.
“At first my parents were with me, but I asked them to leave and Greg shared his life story with me. He offered to help me to get into the Meteffect Recovery Centre and I thought it would only happen in a week or two, but I was in rehab the next day. I was there for three months.”
Willie says it was while in rehab that he realised he could not go back to the environment where he was and he shared his worries with Greg.
It is also in rehab where I found God.”
Greg helped Willie to get work on a pig farm, where he is still currently working, and Willie has been clean for a year and four months.
“It was on June 25 that I stopped using. I will always remember that date and celebrate it like a birthday,” he says.
“I know I will never use again. I do feel the urge to use sometimes, but that is where my sponsor, Greg, comes in. My relationship with God is very strong and I rely a lot on that.”
Willie has four children and says he will be open about his addiction to them.
Meteffect will host a golf day on November 22 in aid of those who cannot afford to go into rehab.
“The golf day is to create greater awareness of the disease of addiction and at the same time start the Meteffect Sponsorship Fund to assist those who are in need of treatment and who are unable to afford it,” says Scot Davison, the co-owner of the Meteffect Recovery Centre.
