The Rapidly Spreading Deadly Fix – The Tragic Case of Drug Abuse In Mombasa

    A look into how the youth in Mombasa are being affected by drugs and how the Safaricom Twaweza Live Free clinic helped the patients who came for checkups

    The Rapidly Spreading Deadly Fix

    “It started out as a joke. Me injecting started out as one of those things we would dare ourselves to do when we went out at night. When you start hanging out with people who spend an easy 70,000 in a night in Mombasa, then everything they do becomes a pedestal you want to walk on.

    It’s been 5 years now and I can’t go a day without heroin. It’s that itch you scratch but comes back like a bigger rash.

    Have I tried stopping? Absolutely. But you have no idea what being on this stuff feels like. Kila nataka kujitoa, nashindwa mami. Lakini natamani sana kuacha, kundelea na maisha ilivyokuwa mbeleni. I really want to stop, I just don’t know how.”

    This is Ali’s* story. One of the thousands of drug addicts in Mombasa. This is a life he knows.

    The Rapidly Spreading Deadly Fix - The Tragic Case of Drug Abuse In Mombasa

    Mombasa and by extension the larger part of the coastal strip is an area plagued by the prevalence of drugs. Heroin & cocaine rule the day, with users finding newer ways of using the drugs to get them high even faster. What I found out at the Twaweza Live Free Medical camp at Shanzu Mwembeni Bush held in Mombasa last weekend, is how they’re now sprinkling heroin and cocaine on muguka (khat), with the potent mix being their latest fix.

    Many have argued that drug addicts should be left alone and unattended because it’s a problem they put themselves in. The same situation applies with some of the addicts families, there’s the constant battle to keep on with the journey.

    Why you may ask?

    The process of getting an addict to admit he needs help is one of the major hurdles; rehabilitating a drug addict is another complex and expensive battle. The cost can stretch from Kshs 90,000 to Kshs 120,000 depending on the rehab centre and situation of the addict & the family also has to deal with the emotional anguish of hoping for full recovery for their loved ones.

    If you thought the recovery process for the patient was smooth sailing, think again.

    The Rapidly Spreading Deadly Fix - The Tragic Case of Drug Abuse In Mombasa

    The withdrawal from all that time using those hard drugs hits them HARD. From the nausea, constant vomiting, body shakes and paranoia in some cases. They also need constant inpatient care, which helps the individual resist temptations and avoid relapse, both during the detoxification and rehabilitation processes, which means patients are restricted from contacting family and friends during the first phase of the rehabilitation process because this allows them to focus solely on their recovery without distractions from outside.

    They don’t plunge into the vice just because they want to, but because of the powerful force of addiction that holds them back.

    Diseases related to drug abuse 

    Illicit drug use has inherent risks that includes serious health problems. Drug abuse can cause heart disease, respiratory issues, liver disease and be the linked to other health problems such as tetanus, sexually transmitted diseases and blood borne diseases including Hepatitis and AIDS. Drug users are at higher risks of contracting infectious and harmful diseases due to a lowered immune system and the fact that people using illegal substances often engage in high risk behaviors and activities. These infectious diseases can range from treatable conditions such as herpes to terminal diseases.

    Sub-county Health Promotion Officer Caroline Agutu sensitized the patients who came for checkups at the medical camp who were under rehabilitation in the detox centre nearby.

    “The patients who came today heard about the free medical camp and they wanted to get comprehensive health checkups & from the tests they went through, we can say they’re really keen on following up with their recovery and detox.

    The Rapidly Spreading Deadly Fix - The Tragic Case of Drug Abuse In Mombasa

    We also took this chance to tell them about the prevention and control of Tuberculosis which is of course common among them because they tend to share the drugs they use, for example the marijuana blunts they share can spread TB from one sick person to another un-infected one quite quickly.

    We also encountered some who were abusing drugs but didn’t know the steps to take to get help, so for those few who came for the camp and were ready to start the process of rehabilitation were given the referrals they needed. And of course through this referrals they are able to start the journey of getting clean.

    We’ve been having community dialogues, barazas and we’re even going to schools to sensitize them on the repercussions of these drugs as well as the diseases they can contract from using. It’s quite the tough journey since it’s a problem that’s really rooted in our society but we’re doing all we can. One of the main reasons why they keep abusing is because they have no jobs to give them purpose each and every day but the fact that Safaricom brought Twaweza Live to Mombasa for 2 weeks also showed the youth that there is so much more they can do for themselves, by themselves which is something we’re grateful for.”

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