What you should know about drugs

1) What impact does Nyaope have on those smoking it and people around them?

§ Loss of appetite: (he is not able to eat).

§ Disrupted sleep patterns.

§ Loss of weight – due to not eating well.

§ Guilt feelings: he does not have peace because he knows he is doing a wrong thing.

§ Loss of conscience: he is not sensitive to feelings of his family and loved ones. He becomes self-centred. He can do anything, even sell valuable items in the house to feed his habit.

§ He has no happiness.

§ No self-love. He starts to neglect himself.

§ He has defence mechanisms and displays a lot of anger.

§ He isolates himself, avoids to be in contact with the family or loved ones.

§ Stealing and lying become habitual.

2) Impact of Nyaope on the family of the substance abuser?

§ Lack of trust: the family no longer trusts him because he steals to feed the habit and lies to defend/protect himself.

§ The family becomes isolated from the community. Community members become uncomfortable to relate to the family of the abuser. They feel that he might steal from them or teach their children to do the same thing.

§ The family loses dignity/respect.

§ Family finances are negatively affected.

§ Family relationships are negatively affected.

§ The family has ambivalent feelings: They do not know whether to love or hate him.

3) What are the long-term effects of smoking Nyaope (especially health)?

§ Mood swings.

§ Dulling of mental processes.

§ Perception about life is distorted.

§ Loss of ambition: no goals in life.

§ Liver and heart functioning are negatively affected – death may result.

§ There is a negative impact on the immune system and thus vulnerability to illnesses.

§ Stomach cramps.

§ Withdrawals and cravings – making him continue to take the substance even when he wants to stop.

4) What are some of the causes of drug abuse?

§ Susceptibility to substance abuse.

§ Exploring with friends (curiosity).

§ Suppression of negative emotions/feelings.

5) What help or assistance does your organisation offer and what are the costs?

§ Individual counselling.

§ Group therapy.

§ Life skills.

§ 12-Steps Programme, for example, Narcotics Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous.

§ Health education.

§ Detox programme by the medical team: giving them medication which will help them to ‘take out’ the drug from their system.

§ Medical supervision by the on-site doctor.

People are expected to pay for their treatment.

6) What should addicts or those close to them do when seeking help?

§ The family should first seek help for themselves regarding how to deal with the substance abuser and how to manage how it affects them.

§ They should encourage the substance abuser to get help and be booked into a rehabilitation centre.

They can call us on (011) 894-4050/2.

Captain Petros Mabuza from the Tsakane police station says they have a special K9 unit and have arrested 15 people this month in connection with dealing drugs. He says these arrests were a result of tip-offs from the community.

The captain agrees that drug abuse is associated with different crimes in the township like people’s gates and taps being stolen as well as an increase in house break-ins.

“We also work with scrapyards and hold monthly meetings with their owners to ensure they follow the rules which says a person must bring a copy of their ID book when selling items at a scrapyard.”