Every year the news released at the Annual General Meeting of SANCA gets more depressing, highlighting the ongoing need for intense community involvement and financial support in the endless battle against addiction to drugs and alcohol.
This year’s horrifying news is that the average age of drug dependence in South Africa is now 12 years.
What with the generally disturbing picture of school children physically attacking teachers, this projects a dark future for our country.
Drug addiction affects all levels of society, all ages and both men and women.
On a slightly more optimistic note more addicts are turning sooner to facilities like SANCA to save themselves from their addictions, thanks to the informative work done by these bodies.
The entire range of addictive substances is at stake here from alcohol through to dagga, heroin and cocaine with all sorts of ghastly admixtures which are thrown together to increase the ‘high’.
What every parent should know is that drug abuse is but the creaking door to the whole house of criminal horrors lying in wait for the addict.
Drugs are expensive and in order to get them at all costs, the addict is easily persuaded to criminal behaviour – in the case of young girls to prostitution and of young men to house-breaking and car-jacking, to name but two crimes.
From there the path to prison is slippery and quick.
It is also a sure bet that unless the habit is successfully kicked, with the help of parents and society, the young addict is destined for an early grave.
SANCA Zululand has done sterling work in inspiring its staff to combat the drug menace in this region and we reserve a special word of praise for its Director Lyn Williams who retires from the organisation after nearly 20 years of dedicated service early next year.
My niece is a journalist. She has had her confidence shattered by a robbery at gunpoint and the slave like wages paid to journo’s. She sadly started using heroin and pot to cope with the stress and ended up in an asylum due to her irrational behavior. The other side of her story is that she was trying to report her suppliers to the police, only to be blackmailed into drawing money at a cash point for the two policemen who she was talking to. There will be no end to drugs when some rogue policemen see it as a money making opportunity, especially targeting the weak.