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Mthandazo Ndlovu
WITH the Vuzu headlines going national, with Bulawayo being the ‘‘place” and the school holidays being the “time”, I then did my own outreach programme with the in and out of school youth in order to find out what really is a driver to this activity.
Drugs and sex become the order of the day, but then what keeps them going on is the drug and alcohol issue as the youths that I spoke to expressed how they felt after the binges, bodies with physical pain, having emotional spins and also confusion and guilt.
To run away from all this they said they continued to take either the drug, which is mbanje, the prescribed pills and also the alcohol to try and fix this crankiness and found themselves not being able to cope without doses of this substance and they said ‘‘mdala, ibhabhalazi aliyenzi’’ (the hangover is terrible) so even if you want to stop you cannot.
Out of this group some had shifted from school to school after been caught high on drugs and expelled. Interestingly, drugs are being done in our homes, in our schools, in our communities and churches as evidenced by these youths. What opened my eyes was how they are done in some boarding schools every weekend and also how some have now halfway places between school and home so that they can maintain their drugging habit as they said life seemed a bore without drugs and so they have created their hives for this and also drugging spots at their schools.
Having been asked if they really want their life that way some spoke of being exposed to their first drinks at family events and it caught up with them and they do not know how to stop because of the hangover effects and they said they at times tried anything that they would get their hands on that was said to give a high because of the after effects of these substances.
The youths are on industrial alcohol, mbanje, codeine, opioids, prescribed medication, crystal meth and some have crossed to pseudo cocaine.
Responsible authorities really need to up their game in handling the issue of drug, alcohol and substance abuse among youth and begin to run programmes of handling the youth as their drug and alcohol use is a sign that they are screaming unheard for help.
Parents and stakeholders, it’s time to put our heads together and rescue these youths.
λMthandazo Ndlovu is a drug prevention and rehabilitation specialist. For more information and help call or WhatsApp +263772399734 or email [email protected] and join the Rechabites in creating a drug-free healthy and productive community.
Online Reporter