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Wallace Ruzvidzo
Herald Reporter
WHAT was turning out to be a worthless life, a little over seven years ago, owing to substance abuse, is now one that is positively impacting society in fighting the global menace.
This is the life of Mr Jacob Shamuyarira, a survivor of substance abuse who started drinking alcohol at the tender age of 15.
Today, he has been sober for seven-and-a-half years and is a champion in pushing initiatives that combat the life-threatening vice.
Narrating his story at the launch of the Zimbabwe Multi-Sectoral Drug and Substance Abuse Plan presided over by President Mnangagwa at State House in Harare yesterday, Mr Shamuyarira said it was only by the grace of God that he had managed to escape the shackles of substance abuse.
He now heads an organisation, Pamumvuri, which is committed to bringing drug and substance abuse to a decisive end.
“I think it was the grace of God who saved me from those effects for a time such as this. When I sobered up, around four years into my recovery, I came together with a few of my friends and started an organisation called Pamumvuri and we approached the Government to work together in this fight to deal with the problem of drug and substance abuse,” he said.
Mr Shamuyarira had some encouraging words for the younger generation and others under drug and substance abuse-induced bondage.
“To the young people in this country, you need not struggle as much as we did, you need not go through some of the negative effects we went through because 10 years ago when I discovered that I have a problem and I need help, information was not widely available, help was not as widely available as it is now, but today you can go on social media, there is so much information on addiction,” he said.
National Drug and Substance Abuse Committee chairperson and Minister of Defence, Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri said drug and substance abuse should not be left unchecked.
“The whole world is now grappling with the non-traditional threat of drug and substance abuse and Zimbabwe has not been spared by this menace.
“The family unit which is the bedrock of our society is disintegrating and degenerating at an alarming level,” she said.
In his solidarity remarks at the launch, United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Zimbabwe Mr Edward Kallon said all hands should be on deck as the drug abuse menace was threatening gains registered under the Second Republic.
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