Raising drug use awareness

WITBANK NEWS spoke with Mr Thembinkosi Singwane, social worker supervisor at the Emalahleni South African National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (Sanca), to raise awareness on drug use.

Sanca is an outpatient centre that assists patients across the Nkangala district with various substance use disorders.

It assists patients who are addicted to drugs, whether its stimulant, depressant or legal drugs such as caffeine, nicotine, alcohol or energy drinks.

In simple terms, Mr Singwane explains that a drug is any substance apart from food that alters the way in which the chemicals function in a person’s brain.

He explains that addiction is a much broader concept than people understand, and that it deals with the neurotransmitters in your brain.

Some drugs contain carcinogens which are cancer causing chemicals that rewire the brain cells to want more of the drug.

Therefore, it builds up tolerance to the drug and you eventually need to use more to get the same effect. In this way, addiction slowly builds up.

He indicates that there has been a rise in cannabis and alcohol admission in eMalahleni in the past five years.

He says that the decriminalisation of cannabis use may have contributed to its increased use.

There has also been an increase in the use of cannabis among young people mainly because of hubbly bubbly which, he says, is a gateway drug for the youth to start using other drugs.

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https://www.citizen.co.za/witbank-news/182093/13-year-old-learner-arrested-after-drugs-were-allegedly-distributed-on-school-premisess-of-a-high-school-in-emalahleni/

He indicates that there is also use of the designer drug ‘nyaope’.

He says that the main drug used in nyaope is heroin which is highly addictive.

He explains that heroin causes severe stomach cramps and hot flushes the day after you used it. In order to feel better, you have to use the drug again.

As nyaope is a very hard drug, it is difficult to provide accurate statistics because users are less inclined to seek help.

He reminds that statistics are based on the number of known cases of use and people reaching out for help.

He indicates that about 731 people reached out for help from 2019 to 2020.

However, from 2020 to 2021, there was a decrease to about 489 people.

He explains that the Covid-19 pandemic may have contributed to this decrease with the lockdowns restricting people from seeking help.

The number has increased to about 600 people from 2021 to 2022.

READ MORE:

https://www.citizen.co.za/witbank-news/183916/witbank-saps-confiscated-drugs-worth-r1-million-at-a-house-on-prison-grounds/

As far as age groups are concerned, he indicates that people of 19 to 35 years of age seek help the most, but are also the most vulnerable due to peer pressure and unemployment.

He explains that some people in this age group went to university, but become depressed when they struggle to find work and then resort to drugs.

Some people of this age group may also be curious and are working professionals using drugs for athletic purposes or to better cope in life.

This group is followed by adults of 36 to 59 years of age, children up to 18 years of age and adults of 60 years and older. In terms of gender, 92% of men seek help and only 8% of women.

Mr Singwane also says that there has been an increase in the number of women who use drugs.

Alarmingly, he explains that children are more susceptible to addiction because their brains have not fully developed yet and are, therefore, more susceptible to drug dependence.

Several factors contribute to drug use among children, including lack of parenting and discipline, peer pressure, poverty and curiosity to experiment.

He also says that there are incidents in schools where children spray hand sanitizer on their masks and put it on to feel high.

READ MORE:

https://www.citizen.co.za/witbank-news/189566/school-campaign-aims-to-keep-schools-drug-free/

Mr Singwane indicates that drug use carries personal and economic consequences for the user, such as stigmatisation and lack of being hired for job positions.

A user in a high state is also more susceptible to other potential consequences such as driving under the influence and contracting HIV through unprotected sex.

Mr Singwane warns against stigmatising drug users, and says, “We should offer help to people who are addicted. People become addicted for a variety of reasons and we can listen to their stories. They should know that our doors are always open to help, and we try to do the best we can with limited resources.”

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