Hard drugs are for senseless pleasure - 35-year-old drug addict bares all

A middle-aged man who for 35 years has been battling with heroin addiction has advised addicts to seek treatment and support from substance abuse.

Currently at the House of St. Francis Clinic and Rehab Centre, the man, whose named is withheld, narrated to GhanaWeb of how he almost lost everything in life as a result of his drug addiction.

“My brothers and sisters, it is all pleasure, senseless pleasure. I have been through it for 35 good years. Here that I am, I don’t smoke and drink but I live and laugh every day. To you out there, you might not be fortunate to make it to a rehab centre,” he told GhanaWeb in an interview.

According to him, being able to stay clean from heroin for almost 4-months makes him feel whole again. Together with several others, they hope to find redemption at the St. Francis Rehab Centre after years of becoming captives of hard drugs.

Recounting his experience he said, “This is my second time in a rehab centre, I realized I needed help some years back but whether I was ready or not was the question. I wasn’t ready then but it gets to a point in a man’s life when you say enough is enough. Your health is at stake, your family breaks up, your school mates, you lose everything… it takes God to touch you.”

June 26 marks International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit trafficking, it is celebrated to intensify public education on the dangers of drug abuse on its victims. This year's celebration is under the theme “Better Knowledge for Better Care.”

Ghana like most nations has waged war against illicit drug trafficking. Despite efforts by authorities to clamp down on activities of drug peddlers, substances like marijuana and cocaine which are banned in the country somehow still end up on the streets.

Watch an in-depth report on the help available for drug addicts below: