From a nyaope addict who sold his possessions and was arrested for theft and other crimes, to someone who can proudly say that he was rescued from the drug hell and completed his degree in art.
The 28-year-old Reaobaka Chabalala from Rustenburg wants to tell his story and in this way motivate other addicts and the youth of today to stay away from drugs as far as possible.
Chabalala completed his matric year at Mankuroane Technical and Commercial High School in Taung in 2012.
Chabalala says he was exposed to the “gangster” lifestyle in grade 10 and without realizing what a ripple effect this choice would have in his life, he decided to use drugs to fit in with this group.
“In the beginning, the ‘temporary high’ of nyaope was a lot of fun,” he says. “The feeling is indescribable. I only used it once or twice with friends, but after a week or two I started to experience withdrawal symptoms. On the street they call it ‘down’ or ‘alostro’.”
He says when you experience this “down”, you need a quick “fix” to take away the pain.
“I realized I was addicted when I was absent from school a lot and started selling my belongings. I would use about five packets of nyaope a day and the more I used, the more I wanted. ”
Chabalala describes nyaope as a mixture of heroin, crushed AVRs, rat poison and other substances used to make it stronger.
He says his addiction was the worst in his matric year and he was arrested during his record exam for theft. He says fortunately a case was not opened against him then.
“Because of my addiction, I did not enroll after school for university or college, but enrolled for a higher degree in addiction.”
He tells how after school, especially when he moved to Rustenburg in 2015 and 2016, he fell deeper into the drug hell. He was sleeping on the street and his family even reported him missing.
“I lived and survived on the streets by robbing, begging and collecting rubbish to feed my addiction.”
He says in 2016, when people around him died and experienced complications due to the injection of the drug, he decided to stop. He went to a Christian rehabilitation centre and thus overcame his addiction.
In 2018 Chabalala decided to go study further, but he did not get a place at the university. In 2019 he got a place and started studying for his art degree. He completed his qualification in March 14 this year.
His plan going forward is to study further, get a steady job and also write a book about his life.
“If I think back now, I did not think I would ever be here today. It is through God’s grace, the support of family, strangers and members of the community that I am here today. ”
His advice to young people is that drugs are only a temporary pleasure, but that they cause a lot of damage in life over the long term. “A clean life without drugs is progessive, but one with drugs is only backwards. I urge young people to stay away from drugs and those who are considering it, to quit now. It means no life, only death. “
