Gilbert Hickman and his wife, Cathy, recently lost their son, Nicholas, after a long battle with drugs.
Nicholas started dabbling in drugs when he was still very young and after several attempts to get clean, he eventually lost the fight on 4 November.
In 2009, he was in a serious motorbike accident and lost the use of one of his arms.
Also read:
https://www.citizen.co.za/krugersdorp-news/348049/13-year-old-girl-rescued-from-drug-house/
He eventually started taking over-the-counter medications to ease his pain. It was these, combined with many years of drug abuse, that eventually led to his untimely death.
These grieving parents want to tell other parents out there that there is hope, there is help and that they are not alone.
Gilbert said that drug use usually starts with behavioural and confidence issues. He urged parents to look out for early signs of drug use. Some of these are increased irritability or aggression, changes in personality, lethargy, depression, changes in friends, dramatic changes in habits or even involvement in criminal activity.
They say they walked a difficult road with their son, but the support that they gave each other helped them through it.
Gilbert said that loved ones should not hide the fact that they have a family member with a problem and they must ensure that they have a good support system. It does not have to be a relative, it can be someone from outside, or a friend.
Cathy said that when her son came out of rehab it really looked like he wanted to move forward with his life. And she had a strong belief that he would come right.
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https://www.citizen.co.za/krugersdorp-news/316716/the-mind-of-a-nyaope-addict/
According to Gilbert, the family should stand strong, not let abusers manipulate them and remember that no matter what the situation is, it is never too late.
There are many organisations in and around town that help addicts and their families. One of these is Final Stop, an organisation that was started only a few months ago, but has already made a big difference.
They deal with problem teens, adults, aggression, drugs, alcohol, behavioural problems, suicidal patients, and emotional blackmail and have a 24-hour crisis response centre.
They call themselves a proactive service that helps anyone in need with the backing of medical doctors, rehab facilities and even educational programmes.
Some of the calls they have handled are for adult and teen drug and alcohol abuse, domestic violence, child protection orders, emotional blackmail, refusing to go to school, suicide, arson and malicious damage to property.
Drug abuse has taken on epidemic proportions, and they have made it their mission to get help for those in need, including the families of the patients.
They run a non-profit organisation that does not charge for its services; instead, they rely completely on donations. If you are in need of their services, you can phone 073 786 5705.
If you want to help them make Krugersdorp a better place, you can donate to their cause; just visit their Facebook page for banking details.
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