ISSUES •SUBSTANCE ABUSE Drug addiction is responsible for one quarter of all deaths worldwide. Ninety-five percent of untreated addicts die from their addiction, while ninety-seven percent of addicts never seek any treatment. Images of substance abuse are prevalent throughout society. It has been reported that the average twenty year old has seen over 200,000 television commercials encouraging the use of alcohol and tobacco.
All addicts will experience a time when they will crave the drug on which they depend, but none will be available and they will suffer withdrawal symptoms. The immediate response is to get the drug to relieve the pain of withdrawal. The reason for withdrawal is that drugs affect the cells of the body and the body counteracts with its own chemicals and adaptation. When the drug on which an addict is dependent is absent from his system, the body continues counteracting the drug even though it is no longer present. This causes irritation, mood swings, insomnia, stress, as well as emotional and physical pain. Acute withdrawal is a definite sign of dependency and addiction.
In order to break an addiction, one needs total abstinence from the drug. Help is available through rehabilitation and professional counseling. Although the addiction may seem impossible to overcome, the trial of withdrawal will be small compared to the grip of addiction. Overcoming addiction is much easier with external help: physical, mental and spiritual. Substance abuse is a common illness and freedom can and should be found. Doctors for Life is here to help, please call.
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“Sweet Surrender” Drug Awareness Day
On the 21 March, Doctors For Life had the opportunity to speak out on drug abuse. DFL, SANCA, TNT and other organizations formed part of an event in Chatsworth, Durban, arranged by a group called “Sweet Surrender”. There were about 150 + local pastors, grandparents, parents, teenagers, toddlers and drug addicts from the local community. The drug of choice of most addicts in Chatsworth is “Sugars”, believed to consist mainly of heroin. Even before the event started, people sought help from the speakers for their addictions. Amongst them was a married couple of whom the husband is addicted to Sugars. After DFL and the other organizations had finished their presentations, we heard heart breaking stories. One man said that he had walked really far in order to attend the event. He has been on sugars for 6 years and desperately wants to break the habit and get out of the lifestyle. Parents and drug addicts were referred for counseling and rehabilitation.
