Getting clean
I NEED syabu everyday.
I could not function without it, Adam, 13, confessed.
He was only in Year Six when his friends, aged between 16 and 21, introduced him to the drug.
“One of them had an uncle who was an addict. They showed me how to use syabu, and offered me some to try. Mostly, I get it for free but sometimes I have to pay RM20 for a hit.”
He admits to stealing money from his mother to fund the habit.
“I just deny taking it when she confronts me,” he shrugged.
A pint-sized boy with his head shaved, is quiet and a little nervous. His skin is baby smooth, but the childlike innocence is missing from his gaze.
After undergoing rehabilitation in the last four months, he acknowledged that his uncle forc- ing him to get help, was a good thing.
“I didn’t want to come. The first week I was here, my body ached and I kept thinking about syabu. I joined activities like marching and sports to take my mind off drugs. I am okay now.”
He nodded when asked if he was happy to be free of drugs.
“When I was taking syabu, I couldn’t answer questions in class. The officers here tell me drugs can damage the brain.”
Syabu was also the poison of choice for Nazri, 20.
His friends were addicts but for a long time, he resisted offers to experience the thrill.
Finally, curiosity got the better of him and he paid RM50 for his first taste of syabu.
“I was in secondary school then. I dropped out and at age 18, was caught and sent to jail. I didn’t learn my lesson, so here I am now.”
Treasure your family, he advised. You may think your fellow addicts are good friends, but when you’re in trouble, none of them will bother with you anymore, he said as a matter-of-fact.
“I started doing drugs because I was curious. I wasn’t addicted but whenever I tried to quit, I’d miss it - especially the cloud of smoke. Resist the urge to experiment because quitting is hard. The price you’ll have to pay for satis-
Resist the urge to experiment because quitting is hard. The price you’ll have to pay for satisfying that curiosity just isn’t worth it. Nazri
fying that curiosity just isn’t worth it.”
Fendi, 20, agreed. “There’s no benefit to dabbling in drugs. You’ll only end up suffering. If you have friends who are abusing drugs, help them.”
He was 15 when he tried syabu, but the school dropout was only recently caught.
“My friend asked if I wanted to buy a packet. It was RM50. Wasn’t long before I realised that I couldn’t do without it. If I don’t get my fix, I’d feel lazy, and tired. But once I get a hit, I’ll go out and work so that I can buy more syabu.”
The cycle continued for five years before he was caught. His parents were shocked.
“They were so sad. They though I was a good, quiet boy. They had no idea.”
Kamal, 21, started using syabu at age 12. He moved to heroin because it was cheaper.
Despite many attempts to quit, he always got sucked back in.
“After two months, my mother found out and I stopped. But when I was 15, I started using again. At first, my friends would ‘treat’ me. When we ran out of cash, we turned to heroin which was cheaper. Soon heroin became my new addiction.”
He was jailed for six months when he was 18, but he went back to syabu, blowing RM100 per day on drugs at the height of his addiction. He was caught again twice after that.
“I did odd jobs and sold what- ever I could sell. I even asked money from my mother. The money is never enough because your craving will just grow.
“So, if you are dabbling in drugs, get help now before it gets too difficult. If you’re arrested, your future is ruined.”