...Success stories of
ex-drug addicts
By Sun News Publishing
Friday, June 25, 2004
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Bahtiyor Khodjaev
Bahtiyor Khodjaev, 27, of Uzbekistan is a former drug addict.
He started using marijuana at 16 to cope with family problems.
Later, at Tashkent State Institute of Economics, he experimented
with hallucinogens and heroin. He first tried cocaine when
his parents sent him to study in the UK. They hoped that the
new environment would separate Bahtiyor from his friends and
from the drug scene, and would help him avoid the legal complications
that most drug users eventually encounter.
But Bahtiyor had no intention of quitting drugs. His parents
attempted to get him into treatment 12 times, but each effort
ended in another dose of drugs. Finally, they sent him to
his brother in Moscow where he was placed in a clinic and
underwent a "12-step" treatment programme.
Now, more than 10 years later, Bahtiyor is drug-free, married
and has two daughters. He is back in Tashkent helping young
drug users as the commercial director of the Medical Centre
for Drug Abuse.
Erlan Dusembin
Erlan Dusembin is an IT specialist at the National Centre
for Research and Practical Study of Medical and Social Problems
of Drug Abuse in Pavlodar City, Kazakhstan. As a student,
he smoked marijuana, later turning to cocaine, crack and LSD.
"When I realized drugs caused addiction, it drove me
to despair, but I didn’t want to change anything because
I considered myself doomed. I started using heroin.
I tried to quit drugs several times. God is a witness, it
was very hard.
Eventually, I came to the centre. I didn’t know what
to do, but I knew that I wanted to live. This idea helped
me a lot during treatment and rehabilitation.
In the social rehabilitation phase of treatment, I spent a
lot of time on the computer learning new software and programmes,
refreshing my previous knowledge and skills. There was no
time to think about drugs.
Now, I work 15-18 hours a day. I like my work, and I get a
chance to help guys who have had similar problems".
David
David Zubiate suffered a devastating leg injury when he was
struck by a car. He drank heavily to dull the pain but discovered
a more effective painkiller when he was ‘introduced’
to heroin.
"For the first time I felt no pain! I could walk and
work again"!
But he also began to steal to support his habit, leading to
two terms in the state penitentiary. Finally acknowledging
his need for help, David checked into the Salvation Army’s
Los Angeles Harbour Light, a licensed and certified residential
and outpatient drug and alcohol recovery centre.
As part of his recovery programme, David was provided with
vocational rehabilitation and job skills training. David,
50, is now Harbour Light's Correctional Manager, overseeing
residents who are on parole or on probation.
Zenda
"My whole life had been pain, and I was tired of being
sad".
Zenda Haney recalls what finally drove her to get treatment
after years of crack cocaine addiction.
Childhood abuse at the hands of her mother, a bad marriage
to a man who introduced her to crack, and the death of her
beloved father led Zenda into a chronic struggle with drug
abuse. But years of addiction made her yearn for peace and
happiness.
Zenda checked into the Salvation Army’s Safe Harbour
Los Angeles programme in March 2003. She actively participated
in individual and group counselling, and self help and 12-step
groups. Upon completing the programme, she transitioned into
the centre's re-entry facility where she received vocational
rehabilitation and job skills training. Today Zenda is administrative
assistant to the programme’s executive director.
Rita Rovelo-Martínez
Rita Rovelo-Martínez, 23, of Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas,
Mexico
My drug problem began at 16 when I tried marijuana. After
that, I used cocaine, mushrooms, heroin and pills.
My parents looked for support in self help centres until my
father heard of a new centre that provided professional help
and therapy. That is how I left the self help institution
and joined the Ixbalanqué Centre where I got the help
I needed.
Through therapy, I discovered what made me happy. I also developed
my ability to paint, and I took up sports again, which I had
liked as a young girl.
When I left Ixbalanqué, I returned home with my mother
and brother. I exercise in the mornings, and I help my mother
in a business she owns at Tuxtla Gutierrez Airport. I got
a job in the afternoons, and it helps me be independent and
to provide for my expenses. I still go once a month to Ixbalanqué
for consultation, and I am happy with my life.
Paulette Walker
My name is Paulette Walker. I’m 46 and have lived in
Canada since 1972. I have been an addict for over 20 years.
I got involved with drugs when I was 24 after moving back
to Jamaica. I had just won the Miss City of Montego Bay beauty
contest. I had a cosmetics boutique, did make-up for beauty
pageants and had a weekly radio show.
Around this time, I met a man who introduced me to ‘freebasing’
cocaine. When I realized that I had a problem, I moved to
Toronto to get away from the man, the drugs and the lifestyle.
A couple of years later, the man I had left in Jamaica contacted
me, informing me that he had moved here. I relapsed into cocaine
use. One weekend, I ended up at a crack house and stayed there
for two weeks, leaving my 12-year-old son with my roommate
and her son.
I supported myself by living with dealers – being their
woman, cooking and cleaning for them. I was raped several
times, and I was verbally, physically and emotionally abused.
I had no family contact, I was getting older, and I saw no
future. If hell was on earth, then I was living it.
In November 2002, after I was incarcerated on my first drug
charge, I found out about the Drug Treatment Court Programme.
I was released from custody and escorted to a woman’s
shelter and from there to a recovery home for women. During
my six months there I learned to live a structured and productive
life, and I reconnected with family.
Today, I work full time at the Centre for Addiction and Mental
Health as a chef in their cafeteria. I stay connected with
my treatment group and am an active member of the Drug Treatment
Alumni Group. I remain connected with my family, and I am
extremely thankful.
Ali Reza Koochak
I learned to inject heroin from my older brother. When he
was in bad shape, I would give him injections. He died of
an overdose when I was 12.
I started injecting, too, and dealing drugs. It was the only
way I knew to support myself. Over the last 21 years, I’ve
been in prison more than 30 times. I lost contact with my
family. When I wasn’t in prison, I lived in parks and
derelict sites in South Tehran.
The first time I encountered an outreach worker in the street
I was suspicious because I thought he wanted to arrest us.
But when I saw him again and again, I realized that he was
there to help. It was the first time that I heard about HIV/AIDS
and hepatitis and that these diseases could be transmitted
through needles and the other equipment we used for injecting
drugs.
The outreach workers gave us food, cared for our abscesses
and provided clean syringes. They sent me to a drop-in center
(DIC) to take a shower and get a haircut and clean clothes.
I couldn’t recognize myself when I looked in the mirror.
I entered the centre’s methadone maintenance therapy
programme. The methadone together with the care given by outreach
workers helped me to stop using heroin. I volunteered to help
and got hired as an outreach worker.
Now, I have a job with the Tehran Municipality and work the
night shift. I found a small room and have visited my family.
Although they haven’t taken me back, they have given
me support. My life has taken a new turn, and I am hopeful
for the future.
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