Taking on tik

Things came unstuck at home and at work for Numsa shop steward Amy Moses and it was all because of the notorious drug called tik.

At work, some workers were being charged for stealing company equipment, from people's lockers and anything they could lay their hands on to feed their tik addiction.

Some were just walking off the job, so desperate were they to get their next fix. Parents stayed away from work to try and deal with their addicted children. And she as a shop steward had to try and defend them all from dismissal.

When she went home at night, instead of finding relaxation and relief from the stresses of work, she had to deal with her two teenage children who were also addicts.

"There were nights when my daughter just didn’t come home. I had sleepless nights. You can imagine how worried I was then," says Moses.

In desperation, she approached the Numsa regional office to see if drug counselling could be arranged for shop stewards and any other Numsa members who were interested.

Numsa approached drug counselling organisation, Sanca and shop stewards and members went on a 5-day counselling course. But this wasn’t enough for Moses. "I wanted to go further," she says. "I wanted to contribute something.

I see the signs of addiction, I was dealing with my own children, I wanted to offer some help in the community." She was interviewed by Sanca in Athlone and is now a volunteer on Saturday mornings.

She helps children that are users especially those who are trying to go off it. "I go and see them if they do not attend. I avail myself whenever they like. I also help out at a support group for parents of children who are addicted in Bonteheuwel and from this I get training and experience.

"Speaking of her experience with her own children's addiction, she urges parents "not to push your children away." Get them to feel comfortable, make them feel that you are listening to them, encourage them to talk about their addiction.

Her own children on their own but with her support have kicked the habit."My son had lost his job because of his addiction. He had two children that he couldn’t support.

He had completed matric and 2 years of marketing management." Through sheer willpower he moved away from his old friends that he did drugs with.

"He found another group of friends in the church; we communicated well together," says Moses."My daughter left school because of her addiction in grade11.

She got into drugs through a very good school-friend of hers at the age of 17." Almost three years later she was still hooked."I told her, "you have to decide, it must come from you. But I will be behind you because

I care about you."Her daughter went to a day hospital for the first day, got counselling and detox and got into a programme.

"There were times when she cried and craved it. She would tell me when she got those cravings; I would encourage her, speak to her; remind her that those cravings only last for three minutes even though to the addict it feels like three hours!" says Moses.

Giving up tik is not easy. Withdrawal symptoms make your whole body painful. The drug destroys your liver, your kidneys and affects your brain. And even once an addict is off it, the toxic effects remain in their system for three to four years.

Right now her daughter is still off the drug and is determined to complete her schooling and go to night school next year."I am very, very proud of Numsa of my children who have kicked the habit," says Moses. "I want to thank Numsa and the national gender structure for supporting my training."

Because of this quite a lot of shop stewards that did the counselling training are now helping out at police stations where users are arrested for drug-relate crimes.

How to tell if your child is on tik?

They become very aggressive their pupils become dilated (the black part in the eye becomes bigger than normal) they are very agitated they can't sleep at night they can't concentrate, their school work suffers, most leave school at work, they just walk off their jobs to find a fix very depressed when not taking it talk a lot when high lose interest in their appearance and don’t worry how they look go around stealing, get into trouble with the law lose weight

If your child is on tik, how should you deal with them?

don’t push your child away get them to feel comfortable; encourage them to talk about their addiction find a counsellor to help you and your child.

Ukulwisana ne- tikIzinto zasombululeka ekhaya nasemsebenzini egoseni leNumsa u-Amy Moses kanti konke lokhu kwakubangwa isidakamuzwa esidinayo esibizwa ngokuthi i-tik.

Abasebenzi bebexoshwa ngoba bebentshontsha ukuze beyobhema futhi noma babevele bashiye nje emsebenzini beyobhema noma beyobheka izingane zabo esezingenwe yizidakamuzwa egazini.

Kodwa esikhundleni sokuthi ayekele, uMoses waya kuNumsa ukuyocela ukuthi imhlelele ukwelulekwa ngokwengqondo kwakhe uqobo okumaqondana naezidakamizwa kanye namanye amagosa kanye namalungu eNumsa.

Manje uMoses useqeqeshelwe ukuba ngumeluleki ozithandelayo wezingane ezingenwe izidakamizwa emzimbeni bese esiza nabazali ukuthi bakwazi ukubhekana nezingane zabo esezingenwe yizidakamizwa egazini.

Amakhono akhe amasha asemsizile naye futhi ukuthi akhuthaze izingane zakhe uqobo ukuthi ziwunqobe lo mkhuba.

Takel tikAmy Moses, ‘n Numsa-vloerbeampte, se lewe by die huis en by die werk het uitmekaargeval – en dit as gevolg van die berugte dwelmmiddel tik. Werkers is afgedank omdat hulle gesteel het sodat hulle die volgende “fix” kon koop, of omdat hulle eenvoudig van die werk af weggeloop om hoog te raak, of om na hulle eie verslaafde kinders te kyk.

Maar eerder as om op te gee, het Moses Numsa genader om dwelmberading vir haarself en ander NUmsa-vloerbeamptes en lede te organiseer.

Noudat sy opgelei is as ‘n vrywillige berader, gee Moses berading aan verslaafde kinders, en help sy ouers om hulle dwelmverslaafde kinders te hanteer. Haar nuwe vaardighede het ook gehelp om haar eie kinders aan te moedig om dwelms te los.

Phephetso ya tikDintho di ile tsa thatafala lapeng le mosebetsing bakeng sa shopsteward ya Numsa e leng Amy Moses, ka baka la sethethefatsi se bitswang tik.

Basebetsi ba ne ba tebelwa hobane ba ne ba utswa hore ba tle ba fumane kalafo kapa ba tsamaya mosebetsing ho ya batla kalafo kapa ho ya hlokomela bana ba bona ba neng ba se ba le makgoba a dithethefatsi.

Empa Moses yena ha a ka a phutha matsoho a thola. O ile a ya ho Numsa a kopa hore ba hlophise mokgwa wa ho fumana maele le dikeletso yena mmoho le di-shopsteward tse ding tsa Numsa ekasitana le ditho.

Jwale e se e ele moeletsi wa moithaopi ya rupelletsweng, mme Moses o eletsa bana bao e leng makgoba a dithethefatsi e be o thusa le batswadi ba bona ho sebetsana le bana ba bona bao e leng makgoba a dithethefatsi.

Bokgoni bona ba hae bo botjha bo mo thusitse hape le ho kgothaletsa bana ba hae hore ba tlohele tlwaelo eo e mpe.

Source

Numsa News