I SNORTED MY LIFE AWAY!

IT’S funny how one decision can lead to a complete turnaround in one’s life, sometimes for the better and other times for the worst.

Unfortunately for me it was the latter.

Who am I? I am a 38 year old man who had the best job as a Marketing Officer in a great company. I also own apartments which I rent out to individuals and families for residence. You could say that I was well off and living my best life. I have a daughter who is almost 10 years old who lives with her mother because we broke up. I love my daughter and have always provided the best things for her and even paid for her studies in a private school. My greatest desire was to give my child a better life so that she would not struggle like I did.

I have been drinking alcohol for most of my life and have always felt that my drinking was manageable. Until the day I decided to spice up my lifestyle and started to dabble with cocaine, I could afford it anyway. I earned P35 000 per month and also received almost P50 000 every month from my multi-res business. I started off using it once a month for almost 6 months. Overtime I started craving it more and would use it every weekend and eventually it became a daily habit. The more the habit grew, the more I spent my money. I could spend up to P15 000 a week as I also bought for friends I used with. I became popular and people called me ’The boss’.

I started going to work late and absconding sometimes especially after a crazy weekend of binging on coke. I had so many financial problems at the time. I owed so many people in the office as I had borrowed money convincing them that I needed to pay for my daughters’ school fees. I also owed my parents, my siblings and my 2 cousins. People around me started to know me as the man who always asks for money and they did their best to avoid me. My supervisor was fed up of summoning me to her office to reprimand me for missing work or arriving late, not attending meetings and not submitting my work. The last time I entered my supervisor’s office was when I lost a very important client. The previous night I had snorted cocaine and could not sleep for hours. I managed to fall asleep at 6 am as the substance was clearing from my body, so I missed my 8am meeting with the client. This time there were no reprimands, she just called me into her office and gave me my dismissal letter, with immediate effect!

The most painful fact was when my cravings for cocaine became a priority than the wellbeing of my daughter. I could not afford to pay for her school fees in a private school anymore and as her mother also could not pay for her, we had to move her to a public school. I was heartbroken and felt disappointed in myself for failing to provide for my daughter, but I could not make myself stop. I was hooked on the substance. It went from bad to worse as I was now selling my home appliances such as kettles, stoves, refrigerator, tvs and even my clothes so that I could buy cocaine. I lost my status in my circle and was no longer called ‘the boss’ but was now called a ‘patient’. My last strike was when I had to sell my apartments to another businessman and paid off my loan at the bank, I was bankrupt. I had to move back home to stay with my mother who survived on pension and the grant given to old people by the government.

Who am I? I am a man whose life has been destroyed by drugs and has changed from being financially independent to fully becoming my mother’s dependent. I am trying to get back up, one decision at a time. The first decision I am taking now is to seek help.

If you think that you might have a substance abuse problem, or if you have a family member or friend who does, we encourage you to seek help. For some, it can mean the difference between life and death. You can find BOSASNET on Facebook or call us at 3959119 for more information.