Leading a positive life after breaking free from ‘drug prison’
Craig Francis otherwise known as Nash is living testimony that a normal life is possible after drug and substance addiction.
POLOKWANE – Having faced one of life toughest challenges that of serving almost 12 years in prison sentence for a crime he was convicted for, the 39-year-old ex-addict from Eldorado Park, Gauteng has managed to turn his life around with the help of his friend and mentor Rafeeq Ferguson from Khuluma Ed-Diction.
By and early age Craig was exposed to a life of drugs and crime. I grew up Johannesburg and was exposed to a life of drugs from a young age and as a result I was addicted to drugs for 20 years of my life. I was exposed and addicted to various types of drugs such as mandrax, dagga, crack coccaine, crystal method and heroin which pushed me into committing crimes in order to maintain the costly lifestyle. I suffered a lot emotionally as a result and was ostracised by both my family and community,” he explained.
Nash says that even after serving his prison sentence he found himself falling back into the lifestyle of drugs and substance abuse, a lifestyle which made him violent and uncontrollable as he was always high and most of the time had no idea of what was going on around him.
During this time he was hospitalised and almost lost his life as a result of drug intake. “The use of heroin was eating me alive, damaging my stomach. That is when I got a wake-up call and decided to seek help to get out of my drug prison.”
Through the help of his family he was introduced to Rafeeq Ferguson and Khuluma Ed-Diction. He was booked into the rehab and has been clean for 11 months now since completing the programme. “I am now able to associate with people, my family, friends and the community as I am sober sound and rational about life. I can now proudly say that God is good as I have regained all the relations I have lost, including my family. I now lead a positive and inspiring life, motivating the youth to not fall into that life that I was victim of,” he added.
He is now part of community development and is working with the centre in a bid to give back to the community, who have accepted him back after all his wrong doings. He says he plans to work extra hard to ensure that teenagers and young adults exposed to drug and substance abuse do not fall victim to that lifestyle by continuing to tell his story to inspire and aspire positive change in the community.
Get a copy of this week’s Polokwane Review to find out more about the centre.
