back to top

Shattered lives, rebuilt dreams: Drug abuse survivors share their journey to recovery

DRUG abuse is a menace that has affected many lives in Nigeria. The chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Buba Marwa, announced at a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) joint press conference on June 19, 2023, that 31,675 drug offenders had been apprehended, resulting in 5,147 convictions and the seizure of over 6.3 million kilograms of illicit drugs.

Available figures from the UNODC 2022 report indicate that 14.4 per cent (14.3 million) of Nigerians within the age group 15-64 years abuse drugs.

Drug abuse in Nigeria has become endemic, and the consequence can be seen in the increase in the number of young people suffering mental health issues as a result of substance abuse.

Some survivors of drug abuse shared their gruelling experiences with The ICIR.

‘The devil gave me something to work with’

Mayor Ozizi, from Kogi State, a young man, from a family of five, was brought up with strong Christian values, however he got involved with drugs after his secondary school education while waiting to gain admission into tertiary institution.

Breaking free: Drug abuse survivors share harrowing experiences
Mayor Ozizi

Ozizi spotting a white shirt and black trousers calmly narrating how he got involved in drugs said, “I had friends who smoked cigarettes; I detest it. I see it as a very bad thing, but in life, they say never judge an action until you are involved in it.

“After secondary school, while waiting to gain admission into a tertiary institution, like they said, the idle mind is the devil’s workshop; the devil gave me something to work with, and it was drugs, unfortunately.”

Ozizi blamed peer group influence for his ordeal, pointing out that he wanted to “feel among” within his circle of friends.

Read Also:

“I also wanted to hear people share their experiences of how they took things like codeine, cough syrup that got them drowsy and high. Those feelings and peer pressure got me doing drugs, and I abused all sorts of drugs then, ranging from crack cocaine to smoking all sorts of cigarettes. I did codeine, I abused alcohol, I took cigarettes, I took Rephnol, Siphnol;  all sorts of drugs,” he said.

He said his parents were shocked when they discovered he was using drugs because they did give him a good upbringing and provided him a conducive environment.

“I had no reason to do drugs because I have basically all I wanted. I was in school, and everything was going well with me. I was actively involved in Church activities. I was a very bright, upcoming child, but unfortunately, I got hooked on drugs, and my parents were shocked at first. Then I was trying to salvage the situation, but it just got worse and worse,” he said.

Road to rehabilitation

As the situation got worse so also his mental health deteriorated. It was at this point he knew he needed urgent help, before then he has dropped out of University of Ilorin where he was a 300 level student of accounting.  

“Nothing happened; I just stopped going to school,” he said.

“I knew I needed help, but I couldn’t help myself. I was in a mess- total mess. I knew I was in a deep  mess because I could not clean up myself, my hygiene was zero. I would leave my hair bushy; I couldn’t cut it, I would rather use the money to smoke, I could not wash my clothes. I was leaving like hell on earth,” Ozizi said.  

After leaving university, he was taken to a rehab, where he spent three years without any improvement to his mental health.

“After that experience, that was when I really made up my mind that I was doing this for myself because, at some point, I thought I was going to be a better person for my parents or stop drugs because I was helping my parents. But, after three years, I knew that I was doing it for myself,” the now sober Ozizi stated.

Through a family friend his parents got to know Secure-D-Future International Initiative (SDF), a rehabilitation home in Abuja. 

Read Also:

Freedom

After spending months at the rehabilitation centre, Ozizi was able to pick himself up and embrace a new life free from drugs. Although he said it was not an easy journey, he is quite happy with his freedom.

“I am in a state where I am really happy. I got my confidence back. I can now look at anybody in the eyes and face. I am all right; I am in my right state of mind,” he stated.

He said those days when he could not look people in the eyes when having a conversation were over as he has been able to overcome that after painstaking efforts. I couldn’t walk with my head up high, but now my self-confidence and self-esteem are 100 per cent,” he said, staring at the reporter eyeball to eyeball.

Life as a drug addict

Ozizi said being is financially draining as such he resulted to petty thieving, like stealing and selling his family property to buy drugs. For instance, he sold his family television set twice, removed fans from the ceiling, and sold standing fans.

“I sold them at ridiculous prices. I sold an air conditioner worth N250,000 for N2,500 just to get my next fix”, he said. 

He talked back to his parents and attempted to get physical with them whenever they engage him.

Ozizi said that for any drug addict, the easiest thing is how to locate a place to buy drugs.  “It is not hard; it’s just like a magnet when you are an addict. It won’t take you minutes for you to locate a hideout or a slum or ghetto where they sold drugs.”

Advice for people still hooked on drugs

Ozizi, who has gone back to school and is now completing his degree at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), advised people who still dwell on drugs to run away from it in their interest. He stressed that drug addiction is a life destroyer.

“Drug abuse is a menace now, everybody knows. It is really destroying youths, destroying destinies, destroying the lives of young ones. I will say total abstinence: don’t do drugs, don’t try it, if you have done, stop,” he advised.

He also advised guardians and parents of people still doing drugs to seek professional help.

‘How drugs stopped me from completing my law degree’

The ICIR also spoke to two young men who are recovering from drug addiction.

One of them, a 28-year-old who sought identity protection, said he started taking drugs at 16 and has now realised that it can only lead to destruction.

“At first, I thought it was fun; I thought it was something I could handle myself. I was doing it underground; nobody was aware until it started showing on me. People were asking me what was wrong with me—things like that,” he stated.

He said he tried to stop it but it was not easy, but thankfully, he had now learned how to manage it and was on the verge of quitting permanently.

‘I abandoned my law degree’

He stated that his addiction to drugs had hindered his ability to concentrate in school and ultimately prevented him from graduating with his peers from the law department.

He disclosed that he had been using drugs throughout his university years, and his addiction had led him to deceive his loved ones into sending him money.

“I was studying law; I left at my 400 level just a year to my final year, and my mates are done now. I used to lie to get money; I used to sell my own clothes or people’s property just to buy drugs.”

He revealed that, in his desperation for drugs, he had previously betrayed his dealers. Whenever he was broke, he would ask them for drugs, but they would mock or insult him.

In retaliation, he would report them to NDLEA or police officials to be caught. As a reward, he said he would receive a portion of the seized drugs, typically half or 80 per cent, and the dealers would be forced to pay for bail. He confessed that, at the time, his sole concern was getting his hands on drugs.

“Depending on the arrest, for instance, if they caught a dealer with four grams, they could give me three grams and just keep the remaining gram as evidence against the dealer. For the dealer, it is even better if there is less evidence.

“Sometimes, if I requested for money, they do give me to buy so as to confirm what I told them about the dealer. Any amount I requested, they gave me. NDLEA officers and Police, I worked with them,” he confessed.

According to him, after his condition got worse as a result of drugs, his parents took him to a rehabilitation centre for the second time in Abuja.

“At first I thought they could not handle my case at Secure-D-Future International Initiative. But they said all they needed from me was my cooperation and when I started cooperating with them, I started making adjustments and changes. I hope with time if I keep up with them by the grace of God, I will be off the drugs,” he told The ICIR.

‘My mother’s sudden death led me into drugs’

Another drug survivor who also pleaded to be anonymous said the death of his ‘beloved’ mother led him to take hard drugs.

According to him, he was the youngest child of his mother but the lack of adequate love from his stepmother and siblings after his mum died led him to loneliness and made him seek comfort in drugs.

The 32-year-old revealed that he started taking drugs at 14 while he was in SS2 and did drugs for about 14 years of his life.

Breaking free: Drug abuse survivors share harrowing experiences
A drug abuse victim

“I was very close to my mum, and when she died, I lost interest. I just had to find something that would keep me happy, I got relief from drugs.

“I am from a polygamous home; I do see my other siblings get motherly care, which I lacked. So, I started following bad friends; from them I learnt how to smoke weed; then I graduated to taking codeine and other drugs. When I was in 200 level, I got introduced to crack, which made everything worse,” he said.

Stealing, a normal habit for drug abusers

The young man who gained admission to Kwara State University but could not graduate also confessed, like others, that lying and stealing was the strategy he employed to finance his lifestyle.



“I lied; I do carry things that do not belong to me, like people’s phones. Whenever I was sent on an errand, I made away with the money just to get drugs. My dad got tired at some point after doing all he could. He lost interest in me because he thought I could never recover,” he stated.

Suicide thoughts crossed my mind

He revealed that he lost all hope and even attempted suicide. Fortunately, his sister intervened, bringing him to a treatment centre where he received much-needed help. He gratefully acknowledged his progress in overcoming his addiction.




     

     

    Mental detoxification is necessary – Expert

    A mental health advocate and founder of Secure-D-Future International Initiative (SDF), Saadatu Adamu, who spoke on the need for advocacy on mental health, said mental detoxification is key.

    Adamu, who is also a counsellor, said it is not right to just focus on medication while looking after drug abuse survivors and not into physiotherapy and focus more on their minds because, according to her, everything starts with the mind.

    Breaking free: Drug abuse survivors share harrowing experiences
    mental health advocate and founder of Secure-D-Future International Initiative (SDF), Saadatu Adamu,

    “If you listen to them, you will hear how the mind played a key role in what they were struggling with it in the past. so, we believe that mental detox is very key because you can add it up with medication,” she stated.

    She advised people struggling with drugs to seek help. “You might think you can do it alone, but it might be difficult. It is important for them to seek help. I know society will frown at it, but it is the best thing to do,” she said.

    Bankole Abe

    A reporter with the ICIR
    A Journalist with a niche for quality and a promoter of good governance

    Join the ICIR WhatsApp channel for in-depth reports on the economy, politics and governance, and investigative reports.

    Support the ICIR

    We invite you to support us to continue the work we do.

    Your support will strengthen journalism in Nigeria and help sustain our democracy.

    If you or someone you know has a lead, tip or personal experience about this report, our WhatsApp line is open and confidential for a conversation

    LEAVE A REPLY

    Please enter your comment!
    Please enter your name here


    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Support the ICIR

    We need your support to produce excellent journalism at all times.

    -Advertisement-

    Recent

    - Advertisement