Addiction is a chronic disease, never a choice-mangwegape (PART 3)

SunHealth concludes chat with Advanced Psychiatric Nurse and Addiction Professional,David Mangwegape as he unpacks addiction in all its facests as well as advice on how each of us can take care of our mental health.

Does shame play a large role in addiction? Negative emotions like shame have been observed in several studies to facilitate substance use debut. Adolescents are particularly vulnerable to intensified shame sensitivity and can seize the opportunity of using substances as a coping strategy and hiding their shame. People who use substances and drugs are often shamed by the greater society and in order to avoid further shame they continue using drugs.

What about trauma? Does trauma in the early years of life for example, affect brain development and predisposition to addiction?

Trauma in early childhood does impact on brain development. Trauma impairs the young child’s brain development and often result in stunted cognition and language development. Furthermore, the emotional and psychological damage from traumatic experiences make people susceptible to substance use and ultimately addiction. Several studies show that those that have adverse childhood experiences have high incidences of illicit substance use.

Over the last two years and a half, we’ve been facing a public health crisis with the COVID-19 pandemic. Can you talk a little bit about, you know, from your experience how the pandemic affected people that are living with addiction?

COVID-19 had serious consequences for the community at large as some experienced losses and resorted to use substances as a coping strategy. For those that were having addiction problems, because of the interruption of supplies, they couldn’t have the substances they were using and resorted to home-made traditional brews which made them experience more physical problems. The cut in supplies also resulted in availability of other illicit drugs resulting in people being multiple drug users. Some because of the COVID-19 situation had to stay with families who stigmatized and abused them on their habit consequently making their situation worse. COVID-19 clearly highlighted gaps as far as harm reduction services in Botswana healthcare system are concerned.

There’s kind of stigma with addiction where people, or rather a public perception that it’s not necessarily a legitimate disease but more so about the choices people make. What do you wish that people knew or understood about addiction?