Success Stories

Her student Jay* started smoking weed for the first time when he was 12 years old. Jay* still remembers every little details. He grew up always having an interest in drugs and alcohol. He looked at it as a sign of maturity and a very accepting sub culture. Drugs were all over the township he stayed in, drugs were in the movies he watched, were sung in the music he listened to and were talked about a majority of the time with older friends. Soon he decided he was going to score some pot. Being the young age he was, he had no access to it, so he started drinking his friend’s father’s liquor. He was mostly in love with marijuana because it gave him a memorable feeling. When he got to a boarding school for his grade 8 studies, he eventually drugged himself into countless episodes of humiliation, despair and physical and emotional wreckage. He started partying in school which for him quickly changed from the usual weekend partying into a daily habit and eventually into the inability to function or interact with others without alcohol and marijuana in his system. Jay* always kept a stash of marijuana in his locker room and made sure that he was always high all the time. He started to abscond classes, he would sleep the whole day in the school grounds, his school performance dropped so dismally and also his behaviour changed drastically. But more than anything, he remembers falling completely in love with getting high. Week in week out he was constantly called up to the staff room by his teachers who were so worried about his behaviour. Teachers, friends, and family commented upon his unpredictable mood swings, bizarre behaviour and fits of anger. Even worse, Jay* was so annoying to everyone that the administration of the school decided to expel him because he posed a threat to the other students. His Career guidance teacher Miss Dlamini* who used to offer him counselling sessions then decided to refer him to NATICC to further get assistance. NATICC social workers attentively listened to the concerns. They understood the hardships he was enduring in his life. He started to attend counselling sessions at NATICC for two times a week, more follow ups were done including home and telephonic calls. Care plan goals were set with the social worker, which were monitored so closely, and he was also referred to National Psychiatric Referral Hospital for psychiatric evaluation where he got medication. The social worker made sure that Jay* adhered to his medication. The positive change in Jay’s* demeanour overwhelmed his loved ones rekindling a sense of hope. His teacher Miss Dlamini was astounded by the remarkable transformation and recovery his student experienced upon getting NATICC interventions. The dark cloud that had enveloped Jay’s* life dissipated and he began to reclaim his rightful place within himself. With the help of NATICC social workers and his teacher he was re enrolled back to school because there were positive changes from his life. His behaviour changed to that of a school demonstrated child, he was more focused to the point that his school performance improved. There was also that teacher student collaboration and eventually Jay* stopped smoking marijuana. He passed his matric and he got a scholarship to go and study in Cuba. Jay* not his real name.