By Sharon Chimenya
IT is disheartening to witness families breaking apart due to the devastating effects of drug and substance abuse. The once-bright futures of promising young people are being gradually extinguished.
What often begins as peer pressure or a desire to fit in can spiral into addiction, leading to fractured families and parents exhausting their financial resources to help their children.
Some families mistakenly blame relatives for their children’s mental health struggles, attributing them to witchcraft, when in reality, drug and substance abuse is the true cause.
Pointing fingers at each other delays parents from seeking medical solutions, which can indeed help the child deal with the crisis that has gripped the nation.
This menace has fuelled a surge in criminal activities. Some individuals insult or coerce their parents for money, while others resort to violence, theft, and even murder to sustain their addiction.
Some have developed a habit of stealing things from the house, selling valuable assets for a song just to feed their addiction.
Once-promising family members now behave like shadows of themselves, contributing only sorrow, stress, and conflict to their households.
Money invested in education is wasted, jeopardising not just the family’s future but also the nation’s, as today’s youth are tomorrow’s leaders.
Regina Munyamani had to endure the pain of living with a child who was hooked on drugs. Since his passing, she has pledged to help other young people not to venture into drugs, as well as to help parents who are living with children who are also into drugs.
She said there are families she is working with that are breaking up because there is a child who is into drugs.
“I am a mother who lived with a son who was into drugs. There is no situation that a child who is into drugs goes through that I don’t know. There is no hurt that a parent endures when a child is now into drugs. The mind of a child who is into drugs torments the parent,” she said.
“As a parent who once lived with a child who used drugs, I used to ask him, and he would tell me some of the things, semubereki unobatikana. Ukagara nemwana anoita zvinodhaka suga haigari mumba, mazoe haagari nekuti vanoda zvinotapira. To feed their addictions, some take light bulbs, and you just hear that a globe has burst,” she said.
“Even a TV, you will just find it not working because of what they have taken from behind the TV. Some sell injections, while others steal injections from hospitals. Children are dying from such; they are injecting themselves.”
Through a sketch illustration where two ladies had to put drawing boards on their hands and try to draw each other, the results showed that even a simple drawing of a cartoon is not possible because they are not seeing what they are sketching. She said this is how the minds of those who consume drugs and illicit substances work.
Munyamani called upon the residents of Masvingo to come together and fight the menace that is destroying the future of young people.
“The mind of a person who is intoxicated you might think perhaps they are wrong, but they are not wrong; in fact, they think they are right in what they do. As a parent, I suffer greatly. Many things are happening. If only we could help each other as the Masvingo community and say ‘No to drugs’,” she said.
She encouraged people to report those who sell drugs.
“Even if they threaten me, I am no longer afraid because my son has already died. I am here to help protect other children so that Masvingo becomes a no-drug zone. We have broken homes here in Masvingo that I am trying to help, homes that have children who are into drugs.”
The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) national spokesperson, Commissioner Paul Nyathi, said communities must report all those who are peddling drugs and report all the drug dens in their communities.
He said people should report even those who say they have the police on their payroll.
He said the menace affects the productivity of a nation and leads to criminal activities such as rape and murder.
“Drug and substance abuse kills; the nation does not move forward. Schoolchildren fail to go to school because of drugs. Parents fail to go to work because of drugs. These drugs and illicit substances cause people to commit crimes such as rape and murder. It is disheartening to see a person killing their mother because they are intoxicated and then placing the body under the bed,” he said.
To combat drug abuse among young people, it is crucial to empower them with accurate information that dispels common myths and misconceptions about drugs.
Many adolescents falsely believe that using drugs like cocaine will make them smarter. Without proper education, they are more likely to engage in risky behaviours.
Parents are urged to know their children’s whereabouts and should also look out for changes in physical appearance, behaviours, and even psychological signs.
They are also urged to have conversations with their children, teaching them the dangers of being hooked to such substances.
Some of the behaviours might include deterioration of physical appearance and grooming. A person will start not to bath, brush teeth or even change clothes, with bloodshot eyes.
Dropping attendance and performance. They will start to abscond from school, and the performance grades at school will start to drop and also the unexplained need for money. They start to have financial problems that include borrowing and stealing because drugs require money and it is expensive to live a drug life.
Parents and spouses need to seek guidance from health professionals to better understand these behaviours and support those struggling with drug addiction.
