I was an addict; I can say that now because I’ve been given the right advice and encouragement to overcome my addiction. When you have reached rock bottom, the only thing that will pick you up is a secure and safe environment. I lived in the UK and had very limited options when it came to rehabilitation. When I was on drugs my family disowned me and the only friends were the ones I had received the drugs from in the first place. I was at an all time low. One day I got a phone call from a long lost friend, he told me that he travelled to South Africa and found a centre that provided the best care for individuals that couldn’t afford to pay the high prices at the centres in the UK.
Relapse Prevention was the answer. I jumped on a plane and made my way over to South Africa. I was immediately greeted with open arms at the centre; the people that cared for me were like my family. I explained my situation and how nervous I was coming from such a big city in the UK to a small tightly knit community in South Africa. They simply gave me the best piece of advice; have courage. They told me that the very choice in coming to them was the first step on the road to recovery. I thought I had to wait months to get in, like in the UK, but it barely took a few days before I had my own room and my own personal recovery schedule.