Letters

Letters

Recovering drug addicts can help boost Nacada’s efforts

The approach taken by the National Agency for the Campaign Against Drugs (Nacada) in the fight against alcoholism and substance abuse is misdirected. Nacada lost direction when it took up non-core issues to address the battle against these two grave vices.

 Strict licensing of bars and enforcing drinking hours cannot curb alcoholism and substance abuse.

Nacada must understand that closing bars cannot also stop the craving for alcohol; neither can it stop an addict from laying his hands on his drug of choice.

For instance, chang’aa and marijuana are most abused, but have been illegal all along. In most cases, the presence of a Nacada official at the doorsteps of a licensed bar yields instant “pocket” money.

The proven mode of fighting drug and alcohol abuse lies in borrowing from the tried and tested Alcoholics Anonymous operation’s tactics.

Whereas I appreciate efforts being made to fight addiction, there is need to employ practical and workable methods to manage the vice.

It is obvious that medical doctors have not been successful in combating the problem. However, approaching the issue from a medical perspective only will not yield the desired results.

In addition, threats that seem to be Nacada’s main weapon have neither succeeded nor realised any encouraging results. This is not to say medics do not play a role, but to simply acknowledge that recovering addicts are the ones who hold the key to addressing the scourge that is drug and alcohol abuse.

Too much theory does not capture the working ways of an addict. This therefore makes any attempt to fight this vice minus addicts’ participation, an exercise in futility. Some of these addicts have taken to drinking at odd hours, in all sorts of places, including at home, in their cars and even in offices.

No one understands the working of the mind of an addict like that of a fellow addict.