Instead of a youthful radiance, a zest for life, a no-worry-about tomorrow attitude that most youngsters have, his eyes tell a story of inner demons that are busy destroying him.
“Yes, I have parents that love me; however I don’t know how they can still love me after all the hurt I have caused them,” he said.
He started shaking, a tell-tale sign that his body craves for heroin, the silent murderer that is taking his away, piece by piece.
Involuntary he became nauseas, he had not eaten in days. The hunger pains are nothing compared to the absolute need to feed his addiction.
“I will tell you everything just get me a fix…”
He started his story, we have all heard it before the familiar story millions of other teens share.
“A friend offered me dagga, and just for the kicks and to be part of the group, I took it. From there my life accelerated into a downward spiral.”
“Before I knew it I was sitting around heroin addicts watching them inject their drug of choice while I sat on the sofa judging them while I smoked my joint.”
Not for a moment did he think he would ever walk the same road as them.
“Never in my whole life did I ever imagine that I would be using heroin. I always told myself I would never ever use a needle.”
But before long this young man was shooting it up, just like the others.
His eyes narrow as he explains the euphoric feeling of injecting himself, “I watch the blood draw into the syringe and then the plunger being pushed watching the light brown mixture disappear into my veins. It is like a warm soft blanket wrapping me, shielding me from all the ugly in the world.”
When his body cries out for the next fix, when he steals for a pinch of heroin, when he lies to his parents, his friends and to himself it is a far cry from the state of bliss and happiness one shot in his veins offered him.
This story is not new to eMalahleni. Everyone is well aware of the drug abuse going on in this city.
A fact is that this city is a hub of drug abuse and drug trafficking.
In March 2013 approximately 92 drug addicts knocked on Sanca’s door for help. A year later that number has increased to 104 addicts seeking help in March alone.
An article on March 14 rocked the comfortable world most parents live in. A 10-year old boy is addicted to inhalants and a typical day for him starts with sniffing glue or benzene. He knocked on Sanca’s door for help in January.
Suddenly parents were faced with the question they never thought of asking themselves, “Does my child use drugs?”
After several comments and letters, WITBANK NEWS partnered up with Voice-Out and SAPS to ‘educate’ parents, teachers, and the youth about the effects of drugs.
On May 14 at 19:00 an educational evening will be hosted at the NG Kerk Witbank Suid (Trappieskerk) in Plumer Street.
On the evening parents can familiarise themselves with the ‘silent killer’ that is stealing young lives at an alarming rate.
SAPS will have examples of the different drugs on hand for parents to see.
For more information on this project contact zita@witbanknews.co.za or call 013 656 2490.
