Heroin Addiction in Europe on the Rise

Heroin is targeting Europe’s most thriving economies

Opioid dependence seems to be a never ending burden for humanity. People have used opiates for thousands of years, mostly in ritual purposes, but the modern age showed that for some, opiates have become the means to escape the daunting reality. What is even more concerning, different research have concluded that opioid addicts are very likely to suffer one or more psychiatric commodities. Among the most ‘popular’, but also most addictive and damaging of the opiates out there is heroin. Apparently, what comes as one of Europe’s greatest problems is not the financial crisis, but a large raise in drug addiction all throughout the continent. Annual drug reports show that over 15m Europeans have tried drugs at least once in their lifetime. The challenge is even bigger, given the estimate that the global number of drug addicts is certainly going to rise by at least 25% by 2050, according to a report issued by the United Nations. 

Substance Addiction – Is A Rehab Clinic The Answer?

Addiction to substances can affect anybody I know this first hand. I myself know family members and close friends who have directly been affected by addiction to substances such as alcohol or drugs. Many people suffer for years without seeking or looking for help, often people are unaware they actually have a problem until it's too late. Treatment options for addiction vary worldwide and there is a huge difference in approach depending on where you go. The most common treatment with rehab clinics for addiction is a 12 step program which started out with the group Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Other branch offs of Alcoholics Anonymous include narcotics anonymous (NA), cocaine anonymous (CA), sex addict’s anonymous (SLA), crystal meth anonymous (CMA)… You get the picture.

Rehab - The answer to your problems?

All the anonymous services listed above and others not listed work on the 12 step program. This program is based on total abstinence from the substance involved. The first step in all of these programmes is admitting your powerlessness over the substance or action involved, for many this first step is the biggest hurdle there will ever face and many end up resorting back to it time and time again battling addiction and being unable to continue life with total abstinence. One of the main issues of a programme based on total abstinence is the stigma attached to relapse and the essential loss of face in the community that you have built up during your recovery. I myself know after being in Alcoholics Anonymous for a few years and having various periods of sobriety that returning to a meeting after a relapse is very difficult and often harder than actually the relapse itself. I'm not bashing Alcoholics Anonymous or any of the above groups that just giving my point of view on the system I believe fails many people. I know Alcoholics Anonymous and the other groups have saved millions of lives. The reality is when you look at the figures from Alcoholics Anonymous or the other groups the success rate is normally described at best as around 4%.

My Alcohol Addiction, The NHS & Rehab Clinics

So through losing a good few years, friends and jobs through addiction to mainly alcohol but basically anything I can abuse I have searched relentlessly for a "cure". This search has led me down many paths. Substituting weed for alcohol, cocaine for speed..... the list goes on. None of these methods were too successful. I also read a few books on becoming a successful drinker or lowering your drinking with various strategies. None of these seemed to work!

Me

I bounced around the NHS (National Health Service) in the UK for a few years. I first went to see a doctor after throwing up blood from drinking up to 2 bottles of vodka a day while holding down a full time job. The Doctor advised me to stop eating spicy food, avoid tomatoes and stop drinking. Sound advice if unicorns were real. I returned to the same doctor a few weeks later with a serious gastric infection, surprisingly he did not link this to my drinking. Eventually after a few more drink related illnesses I was advised to keep a drink diary and meet with a member of the Alcohol action team once every 2 weeks. This again was a fruitless attempt to stop a deadly and progressive obsession with alcohol.

Over the space of the next few years I ended up with a list of drink related criminal offences including a banning order from every football ground in Europe, assault on a police officer and various other minor public order offences. Although when I was younger I suspected I may have had a drinking problem I always thought it was the result of circumstance and if I got a new car, house or girlfriend things would improve. Eventually after missing work a few to many Mondays in a row I decided to check into a rehab clinic in the UK. This was Affinity Lodge, a non CQC registered holistic programme that told me the science behind drinking, let me sit on a magic vibrating chair and ultimately gave me no idea how to remain abstinent from drinking. I relapsed within maybe a month of leaving this two week treatment and as far as I am aware everyone I met there also relapsed within a short period of time. I specifically remember being told that AA (alcoholics anonymous) was a cult at this “clinic”. Remarkably someone died while in care at this centre and it subsequently closed down shortly after.

Gauteng – Gangsters Paradise. Drugs, Addiction & Crime

Gauteng is the smallest province in South Africa that is situated in the heart of Highveld. The Highveld constitutes part of the Northern Cape, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, Limpopo, and all of Gauteng and northern Free State provinces. Among all the provinces Gauteng has the notorious record of being called the gangster’s paradise. This name was taken from the GP that is put on car registration plates in Gauteng. The residents of Gauteng, themselves, gave this name which reveals the amount of fear that they live in. It is one of the most violent places in South Africa. 

Nyaope Addiction Fuels Crime Amongst Youth

Of the entire crimes that occur in South Africa 50 percent occur in Gauteng province. The gangsters have a free reign over the entire place. The entire Gauteng province has been divided into 138 policing areas. Among all these areas Magaliesburg, Fairland, Hekpoort, Rosebank and Tarlton reported the lowest crimes last year. The murder rate of South Africa is five times higher than the world average rate of murders. The majority contribution is from Gauteng province.

This fear is evident in the streets. Once you roam around the city you will find high walls constructed around homes, fences around the shops and shopping complexes and so on. This picture of the city itself is a reminder of how much fear the residents have in their minds. 

If we take the entire crime record statistic of South Africa, Gauteng is the majority contributor. It is one among the most violent and unsafe places. Armed robberies take place in broad daylight. People are being exterminated for no reason. The criminals move freely in the province. It is the criminals that are ruling the state and other law enforcement agencies seem to be powerless to take action against them. The common people over there are not feeling safe to live. 

In Gauteng, along with a high crime rate there is this problem of drug and alcohol abuse. Gauteng also has another dubious name called the drug capital. All kinds of drugs are easily available in the streets. This makes the younger generation extremely vulnerable to such habits. Children as young as ten years of age get hooked into such habits. It is really a vicious cycle where once you get into it, you will find it difficult to come out.

The place has also seen gang violence. The gang violence sometimes erupts between various drug cartels. Each gang fights with another to make the street come under their drug syndicate. This causes unnecessary violence in the streets. Street violence and armed robbery are on the rise. 

All kinds of drugs are available in Gauteng streets. Mandrax, Crystal Meth (tik), Woonga (Nyaope) are available at very cheap rates. People who are really addicted to it will pay any amount to get their dose. Three out of ten secondary school students in Gauteng use drugs. Cannabis is popular among school students. Many use it for recreational purposes, some use it for boosting their performances during exams.

Those who are in the spell of drug addiction say they go into a higher state after the consumption of the substance.If they do not have money with them then they resort to crime to get money. They steal from people, threaten others, and in some cases kill other people for money and drugs.Drug cartels operate in the most secretive way and the drug mules are trained to conceal drugs in the most innovative ways.

Rehab Clinics offer hope

Along with drugs the alcohol abuse is also rampant in the province. Gauteng has one of the highest alcohol consumption rates in Africa. The administration has started taking enough measures to curb the menace of alcohol. A lot of crimes occur when you are drunk as there won’t be any control on your actions. Many kids have got fetal alcohol syndrome because their mothers were heavy drinkers. In a survey among school students of Gauteng, two thirds of the students agreed that alcohol consumption in youth is becoming more socially acceptable and tolerated. Around 8 in 10 students agreed that they consume alcohol. Education is the principal means of preventing alcohol and drug abuse among youth. Educators should be trained to identify stress related symptoms and how to deal with it. Drug and alcohol prevention in schools need to be adaptable and innovative methods of prevention must be put to practice.

Alcohol and drugs boost the majority of the crimes in the society. The police have incorporated various measures to prevent such crimes in Gauteng. The first step is to be tough on drinking and driving. The police have also short listed the areas prone to alcohol and drug abuse and to make sure that the police stations there are accessible to the citizens for reporting crime. But a main reason that hampers such activities is the street protests the police have to face. The Gauteng province last year was witness to at least 650 protests of which 40 had been violent. So at such times the police will have to move their resources to protest sites which hamper other investigations of crime and drugs.   

Before pointing fingers at others we must ask ourselves on where as a society did we go wrong. To fight against drugs societies should start speaking out.  The society should stand up and expose those who are selling drugs and ruining the younger generation. The persons who are providing safe houses to the youth where they go and smoke need to be punished severely. Many young girls even go to the extend of selling their bodies for drugs.

The crime on the streets of Gauteng is increasing. There are a plenty of laws to deal with the rising crime, but it is the administering of laws that we need to look into and tweak. There are also allegations that the police are also involved in aiding and abetting crime especially with drug dealers. It is something that needs to be taken very seriously. But the onus first lies on the society itself on not to get into alcohol and drug addiction which is the root cause of majority crimes.

Addiction hurting South Africa

Officially known as the Republic of South Africa, South Africa has a colourful history. South Africa is separated into 9 provinces – The Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, Kwazulu Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, Northern Cape & the Western Cape. South Africa borders Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe & Swaziland. Lesotho lies completely surrounded by South Africa.

South Africa boasts one of the most multi-cultural populations on the planet. Eleven official languages are recognised within the country but many more are spoken. Over the last two decades cities and towns in South Africa have seen a huge surge in wealth and development.

With the rise in liquid assets and free time South Africa has also witnessed a dramatic rise in drug use and addiction. The alarming trend in South Africa of addiction is actually double per head compared to most other countries in the world. Street drugs in South Africa have also contributed to the epidemic. Previously South Africa was plagued by drugs as a result of being a great shipping route for smugglers from South America looking to move illicit substances to Europe through Africa. Now new street drugs are manufactured in home laboratories by amateur chemists, drugs such as Nyaope are an example of unique cheap street drugs in South Africa. Nyaope a mix of Cannabis (dagga), Heroin and other chemicals has plagued large areas of Northern South Africa. Reports suggest that as many as 80% of households in certain areas are directly affected by Nyaope addiction. It has also been reported that Nyaope has been sold merely as Cannabis to youth who then quicklty become addicted. Admission rates for under 16s to rehabilitation facilities for drug addiction has risen quickly over the last 5 years.  Some schools in South Africa are actually screening students for drug use with random testing.

Crystal Meth (tik) is another huge concern for the country that only 3 years ago hosted the football World Cup. Crystal Meth like Nyaope is also produced in home-made laboratories. Manufacturers are increasingly switching the ingredients to more toxic chemicals in order to make the process of production cheaper and the profits greater. Crystal Meth has caused devastation in the United States and it looks like the trend is having the same effects on South Africa. In 2009 half of all admission to drug and alcohol addiction treatments centres in the Western Cape were for Crystal Meth (tik) addiction. Crystal Meth prices vary but it is generally available for the same price of a packet of cigarettes. With prices at rock bottom and availability on the rise it is little surprise the problem is growing.

Crystal Meth leads us on to another drug that is almost unique to South Africa, Mandrax. Mandrax was initially used as muscle relaxant in the United States. It is now believed to be produced in home laboratories in South Africa. South Africa is by far the biggest user in the world of Mandrax. Mandrax is normally mixed with Cannabis (dagga) and smoked through a pipe. Often it is used to “bring down” the user from Crystal Meth.

Along with drugs South Africa also has some of the highest alcohol dependence rates in the world. South Africa has very strict licensing rules across its cities in relation to the sale of alcohol. The very latest bottle stores close at 9pm. These measures seem to have had mixed effects across South Africa with certain provinces seeing a decrease in the number of alcohol related admissions to rehab clinics and others seeing increases. Kwazulu Natal for example has seen a drop in alcohol related admission to addiction treatment centres but has seen a rise in Crystal Meth admissions. To me it seems to be six of one and half a dozen of the other. Whatever way you look at it addiction in South Africa is a problem, a very big problem.

With all the addiction South Africa has responded and now boasts some of the best addiction treatment centres across the world. People travel from all over the world for addiction treatment in South Africa. Price is a big factor for these people to travel for treatment in South Africa as it is typically allot cheaper than Rehab clinics in the Western World. Also the actual success rates of sustained abstinence from addiction after treatment in South Africa are allot higher than that of anywhere in the world besides the United States.

It also seems that medical insurance (medical aid) providers have realised that they can actually save money in the long run by sending there policy holders to rehab centres. Most providers now offer rehab within their plans. This no doubt saves them money in the long run by preventing numerous hospital admissions related to addiction. This also helps the health services in South Africa greatly. The strain addiction puts on a health service is dramatic and can prevent so many people receiving the treatment they need. The reality is rehabilitation is the answer to this problem as is education and a harder stance on illicit drug manufacturing.

Addiction does not just affect the addict. It is estimated every addicted person can impact on as many as 18 other lives. Relatives obviously suffer tremendously watching a loved one suffer from addiction but so does society. Crime rates in South Africa have risen in line with the rise in drug addiction. The Western Cape is often described as the drug province of South Africa. Statistics indicate that 48% of all drug related crimes were committed in the Western Cape.

The question really lies now with what authorities are going to do to try and stop the spread of these new street drugs. Nyaope is probably the scariest substance spreading across South Africa at the moment. Alarming amounts of children are already dependent on Nyaope and need treatment in rehab facilities. Will drug and alcohol destroy another beautiful country right before our eyes? I guess we will just have to wait and see.