Hello, my name is DRUGS - I destroy homes, tear families apart, take your children, and that's just the start. I'm more costly than diamonds, more costly than gold, the sorrow I bring is a sight to behold. and if u need me, remember I'm easily found, I live all around you, in schools and in town. I live with the rich, I live with the poor, I live down the street, and maybe next door. My power is a...wesome; try me you'll see, but if you do, you may NEVER break free. Just try me once and I might let you go, but try me twice, and I'll own your soul. When I possess you, you'll steal and you'll lie. You do what you have to just to get h...igh. The crimes you'll commit, for my narcotic charms will be worth the pleasure you'll feel in your arms. You'll lie to your mother; you'll steal from your dad When you see their tears, you should feel sad. But you'll forget your morals and how you were raised, I'll be your conscience, I'll teach you my ways. I take kids from parents, and parents from kids, I turn people from god, and separate friends. I'll take everything from you, your looks and your pride, I'll be with you always, right by your side. You'll give up everything... your family, your home... your friends, your money, then you'll be alone. I'll take and take, till you have nothing more to give. When I'm finished with you you'll be lucky to live. If you try me be warned this is no game. If given the chance, I'll drive you insane. I'll ravish your body; I'll control your mind. I'll own you completely; your soul will be mine. The nightmares I'll give you while lying in bed, the voices you'll hear from inside your head, the sweats, the shakes, the visions you'll see; I want you to know, these are all gifts from me, But then it's too late, and you'll know in your heart, that you are mine, and we shall not part. You'll regret that you tried me, they always do, but you came to me, not I to you. You knew this would happen. Many times you were told, but you challenged my power, and chose to be bold. You could have said no, and just walked away, If you could live that day over, now what would you say? I'll be your master; you will be my slave, I'll even go with you, when you go to your grave. Now that you have met me , what will you do? Will you try me or not? Its all up to you. I can bring you more misery than words can tell. Come take my hand, I'll take you to hell!

It not a Joke, share this with those that need to hear it!

Namens Die Rots Paarl wil ons vir elkeen van julle 'n geseënde Kersfees en 'n baie voorspoedige 2014 toewens! Baie dankie vir elkeen van julle se ondersteuning van ons projek teen dwelmverslawing. Sonder julle sal ons dit nooit kan doen nie. Geniet die feesgety saam met julle familie en vriende en as julle op die pad gaan wees, ry versigtig en wees op die uitkyk vir diegene wat nie so versigtig is nie. Baie dankie dat julle op die Blog kom kuier. Dit beteken baie vir ons sowel as vir die stryd teen dwelmverslawing.

 

THE KNOT'S PRAYER 

 

 

 

Musiek..pes of plesier?

                            

Daar is musiek en mu-SIEK. Die eerste soort is daardie tipe klank samevoegings wat perfek tot die sinne spreek en jou meevoer na ‘n heerlike geesteswêreld.

Die mu-SIEK is daardie oorpyn-en irritasiemusiek wat orals teen mens se sin aan jou opgedwing word.Wanneer ek in ‘n klerewinkel kom,is ek nie lus dat die vals nood(t)krete van ‘n “kunstenares”met ‘n vlymskerp blêrstem,my oordromme opkerf nie.Ek wil in stilte my klere uitsoek en aanpas.

Dan is daar die liewe “agtergrond” musiek,waar die desibels so hoog is,dat dit ‘n vegvliegtuig,wat deur die klankgrens bars,na ‘n sagte briesie laat klink.Tussen die lawaai deur,moet mens kuier en ‘n gesprek probeer voer.Dis veral jaareindepartytjies wat hulle hieraan skuldig maak.

Die grootste pyniging is definitief daardie eentonige geprate “musiek”(Rap).Dit voel of iemand boor en boor in my brein in en net as ek dink dis verby,dan dril die boor vir ‘n laaste encore,nog so vyf tot tien minute langer tot binne in my breinstam!

My doodsteek is wanneer iemand van sy “baby” sing.In Engels of Afrikaans klink dit ewe vertraag.
Wanneer ek hierdie tyd van die jaar ‘n winkel ingaan,kners ek op maat van Jingle Bells,Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer en Little Drummer Boy,dat my tande agterna los en stomp voel.
Opgezoepte karre wat lyk of hulle asemhaal van die woeste klankgolwe wat kloppend teen die bakwerk timmer,is een van my padnagmerries.

Elke diertjie het sy plesiertjie en elkeen se musieksmaak verskil,maar moet dit net nie op ander afdwing nie.

How to stay positive during the holidays!

 

1. • 1
     Lower your expectations for the holidays. Just as sometimes children get sad when Santa didn't bring them the gift they wanted, adults can also be let down when the holidays fail to meet their expectations. Consider listing your expectations on paper, then crossing off the ones you know are probably not going to be met.
   • 2
     Delegate holiday responsibilities. Make a list of everything that needs to be done including cooking, cleaning, making beds for guests and buying gifts. Then assign everyone in your household at least one task. Don't be afraid to ask guests for help, too. 
   • 3
     Limit spending. If possible, do not use credit cards at all. The less you charge, the less stress you'll have hanging over your head until your credit card bills come. If you want to avoid offending, then suggest everyone spend only a certain amount. Most of the time, family and friends are all happy about having a low spending limit.
   • 4
     Make sure to get enough sleep and not skip meals. Strange sleep patterns and bad eating habits through the holiday season can take a huge toll on your body and mind. Try to stick to your normal routine as much as possible in terms of sleep and meals. That also means to be mindful about overeating.
   • 5
     Try changing tradition. Tradition can be wonderful, but if some traditions in your family fill you with anxiety, sadness, or even fear, then change them. Something new will give you an activity to look forward to and help keep you optimistic.
   • 6
     Be present in the moment. When the holidays are in full swing, you can't seem to get away from the action for even one second. Instead of trying to escape, soak it in. Enjoy the little things during each day that make you happy. Stop and smell the holly or stop and catch a snowflake on your tongue.
   • 7
     Avoid drinking excessively or at all. Alcohol will worsen feelings of depression and may interact with any medications you're taking.

HONDEMANIERE

Ai, ons 4-potige hondekinders kan tog so skreeusnaaks wees! Hulle het so 'n opregte liefde vir ons as mens en aanvaar ons met al ons tekortkominge! Hulle oordeel nie, hulle veroordeel nie, hulle aanvaar net en deel net liefde uit. Sonder hulle in ons lewens sou ons darem baie arm gewees het ....

 

 

 



 

 

Mag almal van julle 'n fantasmagoriese vakansie hê. Vir diegene van julle wat iewers heen gaan reis, kom weer veilig terug. Vir die tuisblyers, geniet elke minuut van rustig wees en onthou mens hoef nie weg van jou huis af te wees om 'n vakansie te geniet nie. Selfs al ry mens met jantuisbly se karretjie, kan mens dit op 'n goedkoop manier lekker maak. En sterkte aan al die ouers met die kinders wat seker al klaar teen hierdie tyd "vervelig" is. O ja, en onthou Die Rots se Blog gaan nie met vakansie nie! So maak gerus gereeld 'n draai op die Blog en op ons Facebook blad. 

JESUS DIE GROOTSTE GESKENK VAN ALLE TYE

Die vader van massamotorproduksie, Henry Ford, het gesê die suksesvolste persoon is die een wat die grootste behoefte op die beste manier bevredig.
Dit lei geen twyfel dat Jesus Christus steeds die grootste Persoon is wat ooit gelewe het nie. Juis omdat Hy die grootste offer gebring het deur die grootste behoefte van die meeste mense te bevredig, is Hy steeds die grootste Persoon ooit! Die blote gedagte dat die God van die Heelal Sy Seun vir die mensdom gestuur het, is wonderbaarlik. “God het die mensewêreld só liefgehad dat Hy Sy enigste Seun gegee het sodat elkeen wat in Hom glo, nie verlore gaan nie, maar die Ewige Lewe sal hê.” Joh 3:16.

Jesus het so baie gegee
Ons wat Jesus Christus as Heer en Redder – die grootste geskenk ooit – aanvaar het, kan op ’n daaglikse basis nadink oor wat Hy vir ons gedoen het:
Ons was dood in ons oortredinge en sonde, en Jesus het gekom dat ons Lewe in oorvloed kan hê. “Maar God se genadegeskenk is die ewige lewe wat ons deel word deur Christus Jesus ons Here.” Rom 6:23.
Ons het vergifnis en bevryding van sonde nodig. Hy het Sy Heilige Gees ge-stuur om ons te bemagtig om volgens Sy Wil te leef (Rom 8:1-12).
Ons het lewe, liefde en lig nodig. God is liefde, Jesus is die Weg, die Waarheid en die Lewe en Hy is die Lig van die wêreld. Hy is die oorvloedige Gewer van alle goeie dinge (Joh 10:10).
Ons het Genade – onverdiende guns – nodig en dit is in Jesus Christus wat ons die genade wat ons so ontsettend nodig het, vind. “Dit is mos die onverdiende goedheid wat julle gered het toe julle tot geloof gekom het. En julle geloof kom nie uit julleself nie, maar is ’n gawe van God. Dit is nie die gevolg van julle dade nie. Niemand kan daaroor grootpraat nie.” Ef 2: 8-9.
Ons is verlore en Hy is die Goeie Herder wat ons die weg wys. Ons is dikwels verward en word mislei, maar Hy is die Waarheid. “…en julle sal begryp wat die Waarheid beteken, en die Waarheid sal julle vrymaak.” Joh 8:32.
Ons is in sonde vasgevang en veroordeel, maar daar is dus geen veroordeling vir hulle wat in Christus Jesus is nie en “As die Seun julle dus bevry, sal julle regtig vry wees.” Joh 8:36.

Skat ons die geskenk na waarde?
Per definisie is ’n geskenk iets wat ons nie verdien nie, maar wat ons uit iemand anders se vrygewigheid ontvang. ’n Geskenk word waardeer op grond van wie die gewer is of die waarde wat aan die geskenk geheg word. Indien jy ’n geskenk van die koningin van Engeland kry, sal jy dit hoogs waarskynlik ontsettend waardeer en die geskenk sal dadelik aan almal gewys word.
Stel jou vir ’n oomblik voor dat jy in ’n geregshof is en ’n boete moet betaal wat veel meer as ’n leeftyd se inkomste beloop. Stel jou voor iemand anders se offer betaal jou boete namens jou en jy word kwytgeskeld. Sal jy dankbaar wees? Hoe sal jy jou dankbaarheid toon? Indien daardie persoon jou sou vra om iets te doen, sal jy dit nie onmiddellik doen nie? Jesus het gesê: “As iemand My liefhet, sal hy My boodskap gehoorsaam uitvoer; en My Vader sal hom ook liefhê en Ons sal na hom toe kom en by hom tuisgaan.” Joh 14:23.
Ons Skepper, God, het al Sy Gawes op jou uitgestort. Jou lewe, jou talente. Elke oomblik van elke dag, elke asemteug en elke straaltjie sonskyn, alles, is ’n gawe uit die hand van ons Skepper. Dink aan die wonder van die Skepping, wonderlike natuurlewe, ons vriende en familieverhoudings.

Die onbeskryflike gawe van God aan ons
Jesus het die perfekte lewe – wat ek en jy veronderstel was om te leef – geleef. Hy het ’n sinnelose dood, wat ons verdien het, gesterf. Hy het die straf namens ons gedra. Hy het nie net ewige redding vir ons verkry nie, maar Hy bied ons ook die lewe as seuns en dogters in Sy Koninkryk aan – seuns en dogters van die Koning van die konings en Heer van die here!
Het jy al jou sondes bely? Het jy al bely waar jy God se Wet verbreek het? Indien God jou op grond van die Tien Gebooie moes veroordeel, sou jy skuldig of onskuldig wees? Indien jy vandag moet sterf, sal jy Hemel of hel toe gaan? “Soos elke mens bestem is om net een keer te sterf en daarna kom die oordeel, net so is Christus ook net een keer geoffer om baie mense se sonde weg te neem.” Heb 9:27.
Het jy al vergifnis gevra en die gawe van die Ewige Lewe deur Jesus Christus ons Here ontvang? Leef jy vreugdevol en in dankbaarheid vir Sy onverdiende guns en Genade? Vertel jy ander van die grootste Gawe ooit? Van hulle wat baie ontvang het, sal baie gevra word. Jy het vryelik ontvang, gee dus ook vryelik. Maak hierdie Kersfees jou beste Kersfees ooit deur God se gawe te aanvaar en deel van Sy familie te word en ander uit te nooi om die grootste geskenk ooit te aanvaar. “Dank God vir Sy onbeskryflike gawe!” 2 Kor 9:15.

HOE OM POSITIEF TE BLY!! 
1. Probeer alles tweekeer:
'n Grafskrif het gelui:
"Tried everything twice...

both times were very nice!"

2. Behou jou grapjas vrinne
Die suurgatte trek jou onder

en steel jou vreugde....

3. Moet nooit ophou leer nie..
Leer meer oor skete, kwale, etiket, enigiets.
Moenie toelaat dat jou brein muf nie!

4. Geniet die eenvoudige dinge... 

Die reuk van vars gesnyde gras...

Die son op jou skouers...

Die volmaan...
Die voëlsang met dagbreek...

5. Lag dikwels, lag hard en lekker.
Lag tot jou blaas lek!
En as jy 'n pel het wat jou laat lag,
spandeer meer tyd saam met haar/hom.

 

6. Trane kom ongevraagd.

Huil dat die snot spat en beweeg dan aan
Die enigste mens wat altyd regdeur jou lewe by jou is...

is jyself!!
LEWE terwyl jy nog LEWE het!

 

7. Omring jouself met dit waaroor jy mal is,
Of dit nou jou kinders, pêlle, honde, katte

sentimentele junk, musiek, plante,

kitch ornamente, goeie wyn, lekker kos,

boeke, "wind chimes" of foto's is.
Jou huis is JOU plek!
 

 

 

8. Bewaar jou gesondheid:
As jy OK is, moenie nonsens aanjaag nie,
As jou kop raas, sluit by 'n "support group" aan,
As jy nie lekker is nie, kry hulp.

 

 

 

9. Moenie op loop gaan met skuldgevoelens nie..
As daar te lope is, doen dit in die winkels,

in jou tuin, in die bosveld, in die buurt,

langs die see of selfs in vreemde lande

 

10. Sê vir jou mense gereeld dat jy vir hulle erg lief is,

gee drukkies en soentjies op strepe...

Deel komplimente uit...

Bederf jou geliefdes...
Gee soveel as wat jy kan .....

More trek jy dalk jou hout-suit aan, dan's dit te laat!

En onthou daai hout-suit het nie sakke nie!!!

TESTIMONY: PIKKIE & RENé COMBRINCK

MY HUSBAND AND MYSELF AND SNUGGLING-UP
(Written by Pikkie Combrinck)

Yes, snuggling-up (lepel-lê) is stunning - but not with alcohol. I knew that this was lying between my husband (René) and myself, but I decided to participate because of the way my husband caressed, protected and snuggled up to alcohol. At the beginning I was not sure whether he was abusing alcohol. I wanted to keep the peace and to protect my children? what would friends, neighbors and family say? Therefore I abstained from doing anything to stop his drinking.

I realized later that it was no longer just snuggling-up to alcohol and covering the affair with blankets. Alcohol was the BOSS in our home, and it was time to look for help. Who do you turn to? Who will understand? He is such a “nice” guy! Yes, he does drink, but surely all guys drink. If you drink until you go to sleep and in secret in the mornings when you get up-in order to get rid of most of the “trembling”, you should realize that THE WRITING IS ON THE WALL. Then I decided we cannot snuggle-up with alcohol any longer and that something had to be done fast! The lives of our whole family were being influenced badly.

It came to a point where I had to do something drastic, but the wrong choices were made every time. In the beginning I coaxed, but eventually accusations were passed back and forth, which did not do anybody any good. We could not solve the problem between us in this way. Everybody was consumed with guilt feelings. My husband felt guilty about what he was doing and he made me feel guilty, because somewhere I was doing something wrong ... why else was he drinking so heavily?

In this way it became a vicious circle. Then he PROMISED that he would stop, because HE COULD. Today I realize that he was very scared of the withdrawal symptoms that he would have to endure. He was under the impression that we would remove all of the liquor immediately if he acknowledged that he had a problem. Three days later the same evil circle stared again. Today I know which was the correct method to use: I should have used the METHOD OF INTERVENTION.

A Knock on the door one evening opened new doors for us. That evening I was led by the Holy Spirit to be honest with my husband's employer, and it was a turn for the better in our "snuggling-up" relationship. My husband was more surprised to see him than I was myself. To cut a long story short, his employer had realized that René had an alcohol problem and offered to help him. René of course denied this and looked at me, pleading with his eyes to help him. But that evening I was honest and put the problem out in the open in order to have it analyzed. No matter how shy I felt! I will never forget the shock and surprise on René's face when I turned against him.

Jesus, as faithful as He is, made sure that it was the beginning of the break with alcohol for my husband.

And now, 33 years later, I can only say: "Thank you, Jesus!" We still like snuggling-up with each other, but definitely not with alcohol as our companion. Thank goodness that a method of intervention, as described in this book, does exist. IT WORKS!!

Lessons which I have learned while snuggling-up with alcohol.

1.1 Do not use the word alcoholic but refer to him/her as the dependent person.

1.2 A Rehabilitated person is a wonderful father, husband and friend.

1.3 Never run your husband down in front of your children: Alcohol is the scapegoat.

1.4 Stand by him when he tries to abstain, although you know it might last for 2 days only, encourage him and tell him that you are proud of him.

1.5 Everything will not be moonshine and roses when the rehabilitated person leaves the clinic. There is still a long road ahead. Be patient!

1.6 You have to learn to trust him again unconditionally.

1.7 When he wants to take over certain decisions and responsibilities, you have to stand back.

He may experience a major problem with deathly silence ("stilstuipe") at times, and at other times he can not stop telling everyone how wonderful it is to be without liquor. This does tend to happen.

Obtain a hobby - do things together - he now has a lot of free time on hand. But most important and above all else:

LOVE AND SUPPORT HIM!

Testimony of René Combrinck
Deliverance from alcohol dependency

I was fortunate enough to be raised in a Christian home as one of four siblings. In those years, the fifties and sixties, we were fortunate in the sense that our parents, their friends, as well as our own friends were mostly Christians and as a result one easily stayed on the straight and narrow path. At the age of 12 I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour and Redeemer at the end of a Pentecost service. My spiritual life was secure in Jesus and it went well with me.

There was only one problem: I stammered. In primary school the teachers had "helped" me by not asking me to read aloud in class or not expecting me to answer any questions. In high school I took full advantage of the situation and later the teachers did not expect of me to speak at all. Wonderful! After that I did not have to do any homework anymore!

In St.9 (Gr.11) a few of my friends and I got a bottle of vodka. It was one of the most wonderful experiences that I had up to that point. For the first time in my life I could speak without stammering at all! The effect that alcohol had on my body was fantastic! I felt “relaxed” and in total control of myself.

There were i ncidents after matric where I abused alcohol, but it did not happen regularly. I played rugby for the university and later for the Old Students' Club. It was important that I stayed fit and during the rugby season I did not touch alcohol at all. But during the off seasons I let myself go completely! I should already have seen the danger signs at that time...

In 1971 I married Pikkie Krynauw. Even though she was a wonderful woman (and still is), my drinking pattern did unfortunately not change after our wedding. In contrast, it slowly became worse so that by 1975 it had reached the point where I HAD TO drink every single day. It is incredibly bad when you know that you are being held captive by alcohol, but you do not know how to escape out of its grip. My work, family, friends and especially my relationship with Jesus Christ suffered. Althoug I in all honesty really tried to stop, I simply fell back into alcoholism quite a few times.

Promises to stop are broken. You lie and deceive about your drinking. You learn to be cunning. You drink alone. You always have a bottle hidden somewhere: under the car seat, in the garden between the plants, in a rolled up carpet, in your desk at work... everywhere!

Fortunately the manger at my work saw me quietly drinking from my car's boot at a work function one night. He came to my house in 1977 to confront me with the facts and for the first time Pikkie spilled the beans. I was also tired of the alcohol and had wanted to stop a long time ago, but I feared the withdrawal more. Still, I agreed to get some help.

Because of my job I could not go for full-time treatment and only went to an institution after hours for the necessary medication and encouragement. But it was not easy. In the beginning I only endured from one hour to another and tried my best not to fall back. Later it went better and I then endured until lunch and then again until I went to sleep. I did unfortunately fall back a few times, but I believe that Jesus Christ saw my sincerity and on 15 October of that year He delivered me of my alcohol dependency once and for all. He even helped me to overcome my stammering!

I was so serious about not drinking again, that I attended meetings on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday evenings. With Jesus' help and other friends from the CAD (Christians Against Drugs) I learnt to stay sober. I still attend two meetings of the CAD each week, not only to stay sober, but also to share what Jesus has entrusted to me with others. Today, I still stay sober for only one day at a time. In the mornings I ask Jesus to help me through the day and at night I have every time so far had the privilege of thanking Him for helping me conquer the challenges of the day.

Today, Pikkie and I are the proud parents of three married daughters and eight grandchildren. I will certainly never exchange this life for one in which alcohol controls me!

René Combrinck

TESTAMONY: PIETIE

When I was on drugs, I sold everything in the house to buy drugs: Curtains, clothing, blankets, knives, spoons, food, doors, windows, everything. When I arrived and the people saw it was me, they would put away everything that could be stolen. Even my own family did not want to see me. They would lock their houses when I arrived.

I was 12 years old and already a gangster, the problem was that my brothers were in a different gang and that we lived in the same house in Heideveld. The gang leader expected me to kill my own brother to become a member, but I could not do it. From an early age I used different drugs: Marijuana, buttons, alcohol, LSD, everything. I looked like a sheep's head when I look in the mirror and I was very skinny.

If you drink a lot of wine and you are drunk, you change to someone you're shy off. You fall down, you rant and rave, you're rude, you're sick, you are all out of money, you steal and cheat to get anything just for money drugs and wine. If you are drunk you do not worry what people say about you. The children become ashamed of you and try to hide you. Your wife becomes discouraged and broken down - and thinks of divorce.

You lose the respect of your wife, family, neighbors, children and grandchildren, you lose your job and health, your possessions and money, wine takes everything away and becomes your boss.

I, my wife and newborn baby were sleeping in the outside toilet when it rained. It was very cold and wet. It was so small that we could not even lie side by side. One had to sit or stand while the other one was lying. All our belongings were in a small box outside. We were hungry and poor.

My wife worked for an income.

I was lucky that my beautiful wife of 20 years prayed for me and always believed I would be alright if I just met the Lord.

One Monday morning, I heard a voice behind me saying:

"Pietie, you must convert today."

I could not understand what was going on and ignored the voice, I thought I was crazy because I heard the voice and saw no one. Later I heard clearly:

"Pietie, you m ust convert today."

I got up and went to the pastor's house and asked him to pray for me. At that moment I was free from my sins, drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, gangs, theft, everything. It was 12 years ago and I am still free. We now have a house, we have had seven cars, I will soon be a pastor.

I have changed from a disaster to a pastor. I changed from an alcoholic to an evangelist.

I was nothing, but God made something out of nothing.

I have never worked, but always had money. If the cart full of scrap-iron passed, then I took an old broken two plate stove and paint it pretty new and fix it up. Then I walked across the bridge to Guguletu and sold it for R50 to a lady. As she tested him and both plates worked together, I would say to the lady that she would save power. You put your rice on the plate and meat on the other. Then she believed me and paid.

The primary school was presented with a bunch reject shoes found at a factory. They sold pairs of shoes and I asked if I could get the rest. They were all left feet 'shoes. I packed them neatly in paper in shoe boxes and sold them to the truck drivers. They would fit a shoe and give me R50, then I would quickly run away before they put on the other shoe to wear them.

On Friday my wife bought me new shoes for R300 and I would walk very careful with them Saturday and Sunday I'd sell them for R30 or a stop of marijuana. Our new bedroom set did not last long, soon my wardrobe ended up in the merchant's house. I cut our mattress in half and sold my half for drugs.

We have now for 5 months a CAD group in Heideveld.

Of my members

Gershwin who was a merchant,
Bertram has used all kinds of cocktails of drugs,
another member went to jail at 17 for 15 years for drug smuggling and murder.

We all have shot people and robbed for drugs, now we have a duty to the users, merchants and smugglers to expose, we can and must help people to stop using drugs. We need to reach the children and tell them that addiction begins with the addition of smoking "toppetjies". We, as adults, should set an example to the children. This is why I do not smoke or even drink a little beer.

There is hope while we are still alive. The Lord delivered me from addiction, he can deliver you. You should just ask him and believe and do the right thing. Along with new, clean friends at CAD it is much easier.

We asked the DA's member for Athlone for the free use of the Municipal Hall in Jonkershoek and she had arranged it with one call.

Monday evenings Dr. Chris Steytler gives advice to the public and our CAD members, Wednesdays have our CAD meeting at 19h00, our spiritual dancing on Saturdays with 80 children and have our church service on Sundays.

It is amazing to work for the Lord now that we are delivered from addiction.

Praise the Name of the Lord. Hallelujah. Amen. September 2010
Prys die Naam van die Here. Halleluja. Amen. September 2010

BEN'S TESTAMONY

May 13, 2009
My name is Ben.
The first time I tasted alcohol was in Standard 5 when I secretly tasted a glass of my Dad's "Hanepoot." The sweetness was very nice and I could taste the grapes in it. I did it because my sister challenged me. This was in 1957 in Bellville.
I did very well academically at school, sports and socially. Rugby, cricket and tennis were my favorite sports and I was usually in the first team. I was big and strong and a good leader. In the "Voortrekkers" and Country Services, I progressed to top-level school. My parents were good tennis players and always at the town's tennis club or played at my father's school. My Dad was vice-principal at a high school and we went with the school sports tours regularly, even when I was little. Life was without problems. Politics and apartheid has not bothered me, we were faithful churchgoers and took part in everything as a family.

In my St. 9 year my mother died in a car accident. I was devastated but accepted it as God's will. My father soon remarried and I was very lonely. My girlfriend's mother was very comforting and supportive and I spent more and more time at their house. The lady's smoking fascinated me and I secretly started smoking too. Cavalla 10 or Texan Plain. The Texan was popular at garage parties - if you could shake out the cigarette like a cowboy and present for your friends. Mr Cool!. In our house, never smoked , except for my Grandpa that smoked his pipe in our house when he and Grandma came to visit. The rest of our family and friends did not smoke. Together we listened to the radio, played bridge and drank rooibos tea. Mom and Dad drank hardly anything except sometimes beer, Hanepoot or Lieberstein with his friends or brothers-in-law.

At the end of St. 9 me and I my girl had a braai on New Year's Eve with her family beside the swimming pool at their home. We have already gotten romantic, but I had to keep my hands to myself. That night I drank 7 cups Late Harvest. The last thing I remember was that I went into the Hydrangea to throw up. On New Year's Day they told me that I could not keep my hands to myself and my girlfriend pushed me into the pool to cool off. She had to dive in to save me, otherwise I would have drowned. I remember none of it, or how I got home. I wondered why my clothes were damp when I wake up on New Year's morning. The headache was not nice at all. My late night swim was a big joke at my girlfriend's house.
At university and during my working career, I drank very little and did not smoke. I still did very well in sports and was later happily married to a beautiful woman with a professional career as a physiotherapist.

I retired at 55 in 1999 after a successful career as a lawyer. I was young and fit and wanted to enjoy life. My wife would not give up her practice and so we decided to stay in our house. Our 2 sons were married and independent in their own homes and their own careers and families. I had enough property, shares and investments to retire comfortably. The boys and their families would come and eat with us every Sunday and we would vacation together regularly at our holiday house in Kleinmond. I was an elder and chairman of the Finance ommission. The perfect life. What more do you want?


After retirement I joined the club because I was bored at home day. Soon I had a lot of new friends and we ate together every afternoon in the clubhouse. And the drinks did not stay behind. The best Boland estate wines and expensive whiskey. Often we left the golf early on, and just went on a wine tour. Stellenbosch, Constantia, Paarl, Worcester, Robertson, Hermanus, Tulbagh. We also hunted in De Aar and arranged and fishing weekends in Lambertbay. Then we'd drink heavily.

I started to drink in the morning when my wife left for work so I could only feel better and stop shaking. I neglected my friends and family because they started talking behind my back. A meal with family is so boring because they drink too little. And who wants to eat if there is booze? My wife didn't want me to drive to a family dinner and it was for me, Ben, a great embarrassment. So I stayed home and my wife rather went alone to visit family.

After three years, the turning point came by 4 things:
1. During my annual medical examination my doctor said that my liver was hardened and I have 3 to 6 months to live.
2. My oldest son forbade me to go see if he plays rugby because I was an embarrassment to him on the field.
3. My youngest son has broken all contact with me because he did not want his children to remember a drunken grandfather.
4. My wife moved into her own room because according to her I smelled strongly of alcohol at night in bed.

After careful reflection, I decided to turn a new leaf. I wrestled for 4 days and nights with the Lord and I realized that I cannot stop drinking without assistance. Ramot in Parow helped me with the nasty withdrawal and the psychologist helped me to start thinking anew. At Ramot I also heard of the CAD (Christian Dependency Service) aftercare services. I also met a few CAD members, some of them sober and healthy for 37 years already. Their testimonies prompted me to stay sober and change my life.

After completing my program at Ramot I terminated our domestic and gardener's services. I have since been full-time cook, domestic help, gardener, maintenance officer and I are doing our washing and ironing as well.
I stay away from the golf club and doing volunteer work at our old age home as a driver, gardener and caretaker.


My life has totally changed. CAD helps me to fully enjoy the new life. I attend CAD meetings, provide my testimony everywhere I go, help people who are still trapped in addiction, visit other groups and clubs, go to CAD conferences, helping to establish new CAD groups and develop specifically the establishment of a transitional housing to help poorer patients to stabilize in a sober life, I'm back on board and my health is very good.

I have been sober for 7 years now by grace. My wife retired and every day we are on a second honeymoon. My grandchildren love their Grandpa and Grandma and my boys also stopped drinking. It all happened just because I stopped drinking. How stupid I was not before. How could I choose alcohol over happiness? I went to 65 years and reached my real purpose in life.

There are many retirees can do to continue to be useful citizens. Join the CAD, stop drinking and discover your purpose in life.

I look forward to meeting you.
Greetings.
Ben

TESTAMONY: Wife and daughter of an alcoholic

From Alma. [Wife]
Pierre asked that I share my experience of his drink problem and detailing the life afterwards.
He was already drinking when we started dating [1985]. This caused many quarrels. He often drank badly and it was unpleasant to be in his company, though he never tried to hit me.
Then he could not walk properly, talk or dance, but he always wanted to drive his own car again which would start a fight.
After we got married, he'd sometimes disappear on his drinking sprees. Then he was maybe at a bar, but mostly with his drinking friends. I waited for him for hours, until I'd hear his car moving into the yard.
When the children, Jessica and Juan Pierre, were born and he disappeared; I experienced mixed emotions, following close to each other.
You should know, on Friday afternoons when I came home from work, I never knew what to expect. Pierre might be at home, drunk, or he could not even been there at all. If it's the latter, I saw him again the next morning. I would return by evening and spend the night praying that he should return or someone just let me know where he is.
There were times I hated him and even wished that he would die, because then at least I would always know where he is.
When I'd wonder where he was and how much he had to drink, I was sometimes rude with my children. I made many excuses for him. For example, my family had not known that he was drinking. I always had one excuse or another for where he is or why me and the kids went somewhere alone. I did not want my family to come to visit on weekends, because he may be drunk. If he disappeared somewhere, and came home he'd usually be very drunk resulting in a quarrel. He ignored me and it made me even angrier. I would even hand out a few slaps and sometimes I threw his glasses and broke them. I felt guilty afterwards, because it's not what I wanted to be for my children.
It was just because I felt so powerless. Pierre disappeared on Saturday night and phoned me late that night from the police station. He said that his car was stolen and now they again found it. He came home and only to fetch his spare key because he said they found his car, but was now looking for his keys.
Then he left and only came home Sunday afternoon. Meanwhile, a police sergeant called me to ask about Pierre because Pierre was supposed to go see him that morning. When Pierre finally arrived home, he'd say that he was actually caught for drunk driving and that he was locked up for the night. I had enough, and did not even have the energy to fight at all.
We went on the Monday morning I went to the sergeant with Pierre and also went to court.
The case was postponed and we had the afternoon, we saw our preacher. He said he could arrange that Pierre was admitted the next day to Welbedacht center. I had him admitted the next day, because he wanted to get help. He was admitted for three weeks and over weekends could come home, but he chose to stay the full period to build his confidence. Since he was there, we are very open about his problem and my family gave their full support in everything. Although I tried to hide it my from my family, they still knew of the problem.
Now we don't wonder anymore what to expect. Pierre and I have attended functions where alcohol is freely available, but he is not interested. I then tell him that he is strong and he changed as a person. I know him and trust him, without doubt, alone or with other men, to go places.
Sometimes Pierre would tease the children and said that he had to go buy beer, then they became angry with him and even scared of him. Initially Pierre did not want Jessica to talk about things at school, but realized that it was her way to process things and that she is proud of her father.
In church Pierre has given a full written testimony. Many of the parishioners were shocked to hear everything. So it shows you how good we all can hide problems. I hope the testimony will be of value to others.

Love
Alma.



From Jessica.
When my dad drank, I continued to pray. A day at the beach, I told my dad that it's not nice to drink and it hurts Jesus' heart.
My father decided to go to a center. We all rejoiced. I, my mother and my brother visited every weekend. When he came out of the center, I felt that my prayers were answered.
Now that my father stopped drinking everything better at home.

Love
Jessica.

BARRY ON THE ROAD - THE ENDLESS, WINDING, SOMETIMES SMOOTH, OFTEN ROUGH JOURNEY OF RECOVERY.

Thursday 7th July 2011
Tomorrow Friday 8th July 2011 marks 316,800 minutes that I have travelled this journey without any alcohol- just thought I would throw that in because it sounds so damn impressive!

It is in fact 220 days since I entered Ramot dying for and because of a drink - a wasted, withered being whose ultimate sin was to turn my back on the spirit and the talent given to me by God. But God had noticed and watched and I wonder at His serene patience in allowing me to drag my feet in my life's journey for four or so decades.

But I also know now that in His divine wisdom He knew when the time would be right to gently pick me up and set me down on the side of the road and allow me to look inside myself and see, with humility, my selfish indifference to the glory of life He gives to all of us.

God knew exactly how to intervene with a whisper and not a cross command, and he gently put his arm around me and walked me into rehabilitation. This in spite of my reluctance, fear and trembling and confusion - ah, what a wise and loving healer He is!

So here I am just seven months later and I thought I would share a few thoughts on my journey so far.

My first thought is one which is with me at all times - the wonder of finding my God so far into my life - which has resulted now in a quite joy and peace that has slid over me like a fresh white cloak and grows stronger every day, every minute. This is my strength and my guide, this awareness of being clean and sober! It has allowed me to stop using tranquilising substances and so able to laugh and cry with honest joy and honest sadness.
This new truth is at once pure peace and love and also slightly tinged with sadness. Peace and love because it is so real, slightly sad that It took me so long and by way of such a torturous route to find it. And I hold this truth strongly and vigorously as I continue on the recovery road.
The journey of recovery is unique to each and everyone, so what have I learnt and discovered on my journey so far?
Firstly - the destination is not the goal -there is no cure for the disease of addiction - the actual journey is the reality.
Secondly - each moment, each step in the right direction is a building block of getting better. Whilst we can not be cured of the disease we can regain a far healthier life by managing our use of any dependency substance or activity.
Therefore, for me,the destination is no longer the focus - even if its courtesy of kahlula.com to Cape Town - it is that time being suspended in mid air without a sensation of moving. This is the time to manage my addiction, manage my impulsive need to do something or have something or take something. The journey itself demands of me to take charge of this moment of enforced stillness. This journey, the actual movement from one place to another by way of airports and airplanes, is a symbol of a moment in time when while being perfectly still I am travelling through the emotions of my recovery.
And it is i n these moments of transition from ignorance to one more bit of enlightenment that I realise more than ever that the destination is not important - it is every moment of progress and regress that counts, the sudden glimpse of understanding which just as suddenly can slip away - this is the truth of living the recovery!
And of course each moment can be a challenge and so I have learnt to trust the truism - one day, one hour and yes even one minute at a time.
But there is also that constant hunter - the addiction - circling, snarling and stalking around me like a pack of wild dogs hungry for the kill. There are the times when the enormity of the task of being on the road of recovery wants to overwhelm me. These are times when I get scared, very scared but these are also times when the grace of God and his fresh white cloak of peace and joy are also there. And His care and love can be revealed as simply as the sudden burst of sunlight in the midst of a raging storm. These are times when I have to pull back from the fears and doubts which are the weapons of addiction, I have to pull back and be quiet and at one with my God and the love, peace and joy He offers not as a reward or a gift but as a right of life for every living being!
And to remind me of this reality have developed this little technique as suggested in recovery programmes - I wear a few elastic bands on my wrist and at the first sign of fear or doubt I pull them back and snap them onto my wrist! In the beginning my wrist was virtually aflame with snapping - a bit like a Spanish Dancers vigorous punishment of the castanets- but now over time just the thought of snapping seems to do the trick.
I have also learnt in this time a truly wondrous thing - I am not alone on this pilgrimage of recovery! I have learnt the very essence of that old cliché - that no man is an island - I have learnt how true this is.
When I surrendered to addiction I retreated from mankind. I faded away from my family and friends and even strangers became blurred visions - and I convinced myself that just me , my addiction and the substance makes three - and I convinced myself that I was happier in this state and did not need the bother and hard work of being with other people!
But I was wrong, very wrong - in just these past seven months by being part of groups of people who are in the same position as myself it has become obvious to me that the addiction demands this isolation, the addiction selfishly wants you all to itself. But now I have met a lot of new friends and am greatly encouraged and gain enormous strength by being with these new friends every week. And these are REAL friends - there is no BMW envy, no strutting and bragging, no need to be superior! There is only the one common humbling reality for all of us - we are all just human and all on the recovery road for ever more.
We are all as weak as our greatest strengths and as strong as our very real fears - and by sharing these real fears and strengths we grow strong and step by stepas we journey on this road of recovery.
I have found and experienced a very real reality in all the meetings I attend whether AA, NA or Cad - a reality based on simple honesty. Each person who shares his or her moment is a vital ingredient in the recipe of recovery for all of us - and I feel a deep connection with each persons own pain and confusion and fear and, often times pure joy! There are a million stories told by a million kinds of people but there is really only one truth that comes through each time - and that is that recovery is a hard but satisfying task with the best reward or prize ever - a big and beautiful life filled with the glow of God's grace and kindness.
And yes there are black clouds of doubt at times, there are tsunamis of fear, tornados of temptation and a hundred brief moments of wanting to shrivel up and disappear but then there are also great moments of being touched by a virtual stranger, being hugged by a brand new friend and being heard by God. And I am beginning to realize that the moments of doubt, fear, and temptation are there to spotlight the brilliance of being clean and sober, the one and only real truth we are all striving for. And for me there is really no choice - and I know for myself that the black clouds, tsunamis and tornadoes will, like the weather, fade away and grow less in strength and become less frequent and I will be able to bask in the warmth of a new summer filled with lovely friends and my connection to my God.
I bless you all with strength, determination, joy and peace and thank you for letting me share my journey with you.

Not my child

Dr Ray Eberlein

"Oh, dear and he was so young!" exclaims the lady in the smart dark suit, while wiping her eyes with the tiniest of white tissues.
The teenager in school uniform turns his head a little to see her. He is curious and the funeral is boring, the minister keeps on talking about Hermaans, but he is sure that he did not know him outside of the confirmation class. The lady removes the tissue long enough to whisper, "How did he die?"
"Drugs, Auntie. He took an overdose of heroin". He says it harshly because the inquisitive woman did not know Hermaans either. In her dark suit, hunched over and with her long nose in a tissue, she reminds him of a vulture.
She stares at him. He does not move; stares back. He has nothing to lose, Hermaans is gone. Nothing can bring him back, nor can he be scared by woman like her.
"Heroin! Didn't his Mother know that he was addicted? Surely she noticed something. It is so easy to spot!"

"No, Auntie. She didn't. He became very shrewd over the years. First marijuana, then the "coke" and the "crack" and now at the end the needle. He learned how to hide the stuff. His Mom and them never thought that he would do things like that. In any case they were too busy doing their own thing, what with work, and partying, and rugby and drinking. They never went into his room and never saw his eyes become red after a zol, or saw how he moved slower after the baggie and the needle. He was too clever for them. He learnt how to use Ecstasy and stole his Mother's sleeping pills to hide the side-effects and look normal after the weekend Rave".
.
"No-o-o-o, he was either too clever or not clever enough. They didn't realise that he'd arranged to have his Dad's car stolen, and also the TV and the video-player. The thief that stole her jewels was none other than he himself. Later he started dealing in the stuff, I mean the drugs. He had to do this when there was nothing more that could be stolen, and when the insurance guys were not prepared to pay out any more of their claims".
Her mouth drops open, the tissue forgotten. He continues. "He handed thirty-thousand rand a day to his "dealer", and he got drugs in return. After a while the drugs that he got for thirty-thousand were not enough for him for a day and he started injecting the stuff in places where it would work the quickest and where they wouldn't spot the marks. Later he even injected in his eye-ball".
She shudders and turns pale. For a moment it seems as if she is going to faint and collapse. He doesn't move or offer help. She takes a deep breath. A little colour returns to her face. She still looks stricken.
"Thank God it is not my child. I would know immediately".


He looks at the young girl standing next to her. In spite of the excruciating heat she is wearing a long-sleeved shirt with her school skirt, and has lace-up shoes on her feet. She looks at him briefly and then lowers her head. He knows. The sleeves are to hide the needle marks, and the shoes the black dots between her toes. She shakes her head a little.
Her eyes ple ad, "Please don't say anything". He turns away.
He decides not to say anything now, but to do so later. His uncle is involved with the CAD, the Christian Action for Dependents, and he will tell him, privately.
His uncle will know what to do. So will his Mom, now that it is nearly too late. The CAD helped Mom when it seemed as if she had a drinking problem.
They made her aware of her problem and convinced her to go for treatment. She was gone for five weeks and he, Dad and his eldest brother went to visit her at the rehabilitation centre during the last week of her treatment.
He remembers well how the whole family was invited to take part in the rehabilitation program.
Apparently there they would learn how to handle his Mom and their problem. They were also invited by the CAD to attend their weekly meetings. His Dad thought it was a lot of rubbish and refused to go. Naturally, he and his eldest brother had to do the same.
Dad asked why he should humiliate himself in front of a lot of drunks and "druggies"?
"My children don't have problems. Your Mom's problem will also sort itself out. Listen to me: there is no need for us to be involved!"
Fortunately, the teenager thinks, Mom did not listen. She is now once again the Mom that he knew when he was a kid. Cheerful and happy, and interested in everybody and everything. It is a pity, he thinks, that my eldest brother disappeared shortly before she went for treatment. He would also have been pleased.
The Minister has stopped talking.
The teenager takes his Mom's hand and together they walk towards the open grave. He can feel the tears running, and holds her hand tightly while he burrows in the basket of rose petals. He opens his hand and scatters the petals over the new wooden casket.
"Goodbye, big brother."

This is a true story of my life as a drug addict

Author Monument (Lyttelton)

South Africa is a great country with a lot of problems. One of the problems is substance abuse and it is getting worse as dealers are targeting soft targets, especially schools. I feel people are not doing enough in our schools or as parents to educate our children of the dangers of drugs and alcohol. We live in a conservative society where people do not want to talk openly about drugs. To put this problem aside is wrong and parents must themselves take charge by educating themselves about drugs so that they in turn can educate their children. Just like we teach our children about sex because of HIV we should also tell them about the dangers of drug abuse.

It is still believed that if you teach your child at an early age, about the danger of drug abuse it will make a difference. Parents sometimes tell children not to do something because it is bad without explaining why. Rather talk openly to them about the dangers and living a drug free life. We can no longer say "this cannot happen to my child" or "it is the schools duty or the SAP". It is in our best interest as parents to do something by being open about the abuse drugs.
Nobody is an expert on parenthood therefore I want to share my life as a drug addict with you and hopefully parents and children will benefit from reading my confession. I am not proud of what I did with my life or all the people I hurt in the process. It would make me happy if a child can refrain from ever start using drugs or alcohol or quit by sharing what I have experienced down this road.

Being the eldest of four boys with good parents who worked hard to give us all we needed. We are a very close family with a lot of love for each other. In 1974 we moved from Cape Town to Johannesburg, which meant a new school and new friends. At the age of thirteen in a new school wanting to be one of the boys, sport played a big roll as a scholar. I always wanted to be "one of the boys" so I joined a very powerful gang who hard earned the worst reputation because of the bad things they did. We were out with the gang one day drinking alcohol and partying when an older guy we knew offered me a "joint". I did not say no, because as a teenager knew nothing about marijuana except that it was illegal. It gave me a weird feeling so I did not hesitate using it again.

Little did I know that this was the start of a long and slow road towards drug addiction by smoking and drinking alcohol before, during and after school. My schoolwork and sport started deteriorating but as a teenager I always had an excuse for my behaviour. For two years until the age of fifteen, drinking, smoking joints and hanging out with gangsters hurting people, fighting and stealing their money for dope, alcohol and girls was my lifestyle. At the age of sixteen I as a result of a rugby accident became an epileptic. I than started experimenting with other drugs such as LSD, which was a different "high". Because of my epilepsy coping with school was difficult so I quit school and started feeling sorry for myself. That was a big mistake which just made me do more drugs because it made me feel better about myself even thou gh knowing you are not allowed to do this because it is against the law and being epileptic doctors warned me not to drink alcohol or do drugs.

My family moved again from Johannesburg to Pretoria where I started to attend classes at College to complete matric. Starting again by meeting up with different people and made new acquaintances at College. Then it was fun hanging in a bar the whole day instead of being in college. It was in this period that smoking Mandrax was the in thing and then I was called to do army training. Smoking Mandrax was a bad experience as this had worsened my health and my life started deteriorating in front of me but I did not care. Life had just changed towards being a full on drug addict and my life existed only of getting "stoned". On coming out of the army I had to do the jobs on offer but the salary earned was not enough for my lifestyle of addiction which meant starting illegal activities like selling stolen goods, stealing, and basically anything to get money, and al for a "high". While being on medication for epilepsy my immune system seemed as though it could tolerate more drugs than compared to a normal addict. Between the age of nineteen and twenty six I was always in trouble for fighting in and outside of clubs, the law also played their roll and I was caught four times for possession of marijuana and was also suspected of other activities but there was no proof. In this period my addiction to LSD and Mandrax had got worse and was costing between three to six hundred rand every day. For me this was a game and I did not realise or did not care about the pain that
it was causing to my family.

Life was just one big party of drug cocktails like a roller-coaster up en then down and speeding along and haven’t I also seen people have a bad experience on LSD. They see things that are not even there which gave me a fright and having people you know overdose in front of your eyes. It is not a nice site at all to see a person die or come close in front of your eyes because of to much drugs. We went out to friends in Johannesburg where we just sat as normal smoking mandrax. We had a plan for a housebreak, we new was foolproof.

The time was right 1:30 am My friend saw we were to out of it to go along so 2 guys went and 2 stayed. At 6:30 am the phone rang and we were told that both men were shot dead with multiple bullet wounds as a result of trying to escape from a robbery. We never got to thank our friend who told us that we should wait for him to get back. It was like my life flashed right passed me in knowing that it could have been one of the two of us. I did not enjoy needles or pills but did pop a few pills now and then as two friends of mine overdosed in front of me injecting Walconol, they died so quickly that there was nothing we could do, which shock me and I got a fear of needles.

Coming close to overdosing is not a good experience. One day a guy we knew came up to me and gave me a handful of pills which I immediately put in my mouth an started swallowing while he was trying to tell me two was enough, but it was to late. He told me this was the most Vesparex he had ever seen someone take. This happened on a Friday night and for four days after that I had to be fed, taken to bathroom and could not walk or talk.

Fully recovered one week later and decided not to pop pills again as that week was a blur but done some weird thing which pup me off taking pills again.
There has been to much misery and death around me because of drugs although never forgetting a close school friend of mine that dies when we were only sixteen in a fatal stabbing outside a night-club in a fight over a girl.

Taking drugs is no life at all and by the age of twenty five I had already been engaged to be married twice which never worked out at all because of my substance abuse. My life was a mess but like any addict I believed that the problem could be fixed by myself by not admitting that there was a problem. That was another big mistake by keeping my problem a secret and then decided to stop smoking mandrax and dope.

Only then I started sniffing cocaine mainly because it is a smaller parcel, compared to carrying mandrax an marijuana. Life became very unmanageable as cocaine is a very expensive habit and highly addictive. The feeling is so good that you don’t worry about your actions and don’t care about the consequences of what you do, life becomes a nightmare. Money starts to have no meaning in life and life has no meaning of life anymore. This turns out to be a life that surrounds being in dangerous places with dealers, money and other addicts. I made good money and was able to get cocaine on the book from dealers because they trusted me which meant using more was easy for me.
On the age of thirty I got married and was divorced 3 years later, even though my ex wife tried to help me but listening to people was not my strongpoint. The worst was still to come, when at the age of twenty eight crack cocaine came in my life which is just as addictive as heroin. Crack was the worst drug of my experience as it really takes away everything you have got, love, friends, family, money and most importantly your life. From the age of twenty eight till the age of thirty six crack was my life. Spending all my money on the next "fix" and always having my parents pay my drug debts which was by no means cheap at all. To give you an example of the things a person is capable of while on crack, the company I worked for closed down and being a long time employer of the company I received a seventy five thousand rand cheque which I spent within two and a half weeks and for those two and a half weeks I never even slept, it was like that crack fix would never end.

Crack grabs you in a place you do not want to be grabbed and does not want to let go at all and you become somebody you don’t want to be. When you see a millionaire or two lose everything because of crack it is also not nice to see because you could also have had all this money but chose crack which could cost up to three thousand rand a day as was in my case. A crack addict becomes withdrawn from society and does not care for other people or life and a person should remember that drugs is a habit to treated in the right manner and there would be a better chance of treating someone as early as possible at a young age before the addiction gets worse. The best cure is if the individual realises and admits to having a problem and really wants to give up any substance abuse which in not that difficult because it is all in the mind. Crack was the most devastating drug ever experienced by myself as it becomes your god and you actually worship it but it is a living hell and you don’t care about anything around you, only when the next "fix" is going to come from.


After being in a rehabilitation centre for three months a lot was learnt by me and a lot started to make sense but is difficult to start a new life at the age of thirty six after twenty three years on some kind of a drug. Seeing things that was always there all your life is a new experience and weird but it is a challenge and a challenge is a fight for me and fighting is in my blood. Things have started looking much better now that the hard drugs are something of the past but I always must remember that I will be a drug addict for the rest of my life. It will take me many years to get back what was lost especially gaining peoples trust in me and showing my love for my family and the few friends that have helped me with my recovery and prove to myself that it is possible to live a normal life with its ups an downs and have done well thanks to the people that always showed me love. People are not aware of the dangers of hard drugs which is why this true story was written by me, not to tell you about the bad things I did but to make you realise that substance abuse could happens to anybody.
We as people should make an issue of this and demand more anti drug campaigns for example anti drug banners, anti drug radio and television commercial’s and more talk shows on this habit. I cannot say this is the answer but only a suggestion. Substance abuse plays a big part in crime so it is op to us to be more open about the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse and to come together as one and stamp out this problem that effects our children’s and country’s future.

My message to you is that you should not abuse any substance as this could just be the start of a long lonely road to addiction and worst kind of life you can imagine. You cannot imagine how difficult it has been for me to get my story on paper as my addiction is unlike anything you can imagine, almost like a horror story, just worse.

SAY NO TO DRUGS IT IS NOT A LIFE

OPTREDE WANNEER ALLE BEHANDELINGSPOGINGS MISLUK

Sommige middelafhanklikes oorwin verslawing deur by nasorgplanne te hou. Baie is egter onsuksesvol en sak al dieper weg in die dwelmkultuur, gewoonlik met ernstige gevolge soos haweloosheid, tronkstraf en die dood.
Redes waarom hulppogings misluk:

1.      Gebrek aan verantwoordelikheid: Die pasiënt weier om verantwoordelikheid te neem vir die veranderings wat gedoen moet word, hy bly oneerlik met homself en met ander, hy mislei, jok en manipuleer, motivering bly laag, strafmaatreëls is oneffektief, bv. huisarres, beheer en monitor alle bewegings, neem motor en voorregte weg, belet kontak met ou vriende.

2.      Gebrekkige samewerking tydens evaluering:  Bly in ontkenning, jok, wil nie terapeutiese verhouding bou nie, wil nie verander nie, het geen basis vir herstelplan nie, soek pille en kitsoplossing, gevoel van mislukking vererger, meer negatiwiteit, kritisering, blamering, wrywing, hopeloosheid, wanhoop, woede, frustrasie, ens.

3.      Geen herstelplan: Weier om `n herstelplan op te stel en toe te pas.

4.      Nie-nakoming van herstelplan: Stel wel `n plan op maar begin verskonings soek om take uit te voer, begin uitsonderings maak, ander afsprake word belangriker as herstelplan, hou  nie by beplanning vir vakansiedae, geleenthede, Kersfees en Nuwejaar, beplan nie vir siekte of afwesigheid van mentors en professionele persone nie.

5.      Dubbele diagnose:  Laat doen volledige evaluering deur gekwalifiseerde professionele persone, kry behandeling vir verslawing en psigiatriese siekte tegelykertyd.

6.      Gesinsverhoudings: Gesinslede moet ook verander en ophou om pasiënt in `n gemaksone te hou waar middelgebruik maklik is.

Tipiese rolle van gesinslede:

Ø  Redder, verpleegster, moeder: Doen alles vir pasiënt, maak afsprake, reël opname in sentrum, skakel na buite, betaal skuld en borg, vervang gesteelde items, weier om klag van diefstal te lê, bewaar geheime rondom dwelms, voorsien geld, word mede-afhanklik sonder om self middels te gebruik, word slagoffer van dwelms, voel hulpeloos.

Ø  Vervolger, polisieman, vader: Neem herstelplan oor en beheer alles, hy is streng, kwaad, veroordelend, dreigend, vyandig, bestraffend, blamerend, kritiserend; pasiënt se reaksie is erger leuens, bedrog en manipulasie, geen respek vir gesag.

Ø  Pasiënt of slagoffer: Blameer ander, pasiënt is onskuldige sieke, hulpeloos, afhanklik, sonder sterkpunte en vaardighede, onbekwaam, soek redders en vervolgers om rol van slagoffer te bevestig.

Herstelplan:

Elke pasiënt moet `n persoonlike herstelplan hê wat met die hulp van die gesin, berader, mentor of  nasorg-groep soos CAD opgestel en uitgevoer word. Die volgende is `n voorbeeld van `n herstelplan:

Medies: Besoek dokter Maandae om 1000 vir 2 maande vir ondersoek en toetsing, daarna twee-weekliks vir 2 maande, daarna maandeliks vir 12 maande. Gebruik medikasie onder toesig van gesin soos voorgeskryf. Vermy alle verslawende middels en medikasie.

Psigiatries: Besoek psigiater maandeliks vir 12 maande, rapporteer elke selfmoordgedagte dadelik aan psigiater, gaan dadelik na Noodeenheid in geval van selfmoordpoging of -dreigement.

Emosioneel: Woon weeklikse psigo-terapeutiese sessies by vir 1 jaar of langer indien nodig.

Sosiaal: Woon nasorggroepe 3 aande per week by, beplan en noteer bywoning in dagboek, sluit aan by kerkaksie, vermy alle kroeë, maak geen kontak met vorige vriende, gereelde toetsing by die werk, drink Antebuse onder toesig, sosialiseer met CAD-vriende en ander betroubare mense.

Ander aksies:

Ø  Geen leuens, diefstal, manipulering, geheime

Ø  Bel mentor 2 keer per week

Ø  Woon kerkdienste en ander aksies by

Ø  Neem gesinslid of CAD-vriend saam na afsprake

Ø  Mediteer 20 minute per dag

Ø  Lees 1 hoofstuk in `n geestelike boek per dag

Ø  Hou dagboek van waarskuwingstekens, hoë-risiko situasies, snellers, hunkering

Ø  Doen daaglikse oefenprogram

Ø  Eet gesonde kos

Ø  Bel dadelik alle betrokkenes in geval van `n glips of terugval.

Verdere ingryping:

Ø  Woon ander steungroepe by, elke dag indien nodig

Ø  Netwerk daagliks met gesinslede en nuwe vriende

Ø  Ontvang kognitiewe gedragsterapie om nuwe vaardighede aan te leer

Ø  Ontvang gesinsterapie waarby alle gesinslede betrokke is

Ø  Doen skadevermindering totdat pasiënt gereed is om op te hou gebruik

Ø  Kry hofbevel vir kommittering as alle pogings misluk het

Ø  Waak teen onbeproefde, alternatiewe behandeling of towerformule

Ø  Hersien eerder alle stappe en herstelplan

Ø   Laat weer volledige assessering vir psigiatriese siektes doen

Ø  Herstel abnormale gesinsverhoudings

Ø  Intensifiseer nasorg en ondersteuning.

 Kobus Pienaar

CAD ORGANISEERDER      Tel.  021 930 4472/  939 2033/   079 4343 194

Bronne:

Barnard, A. 1994. Wie is dit wat onnodig seerkry?

Hitzeroth, V. en Kramer, L. 2010. Die einde van verslawing.