Breaking free: Addicted professionals turn to rehabs for a fresh start

Behind every rehabilitation centre, there are untold stories of triumph and struggle. Tales of warriors who fell into the abyss of drug abuse, but managed to unchain themselves and rise again.

Others relapsed, but they never gave up; they woke up, dusted themselves off, and crawled back from addiction. For all former addicts, it is a tale of hell and back.

However, the professionals in rehabilitation centres who tirelessly extend a helping hand or offer a shoulder for the addicts to rise again are often overlooked in these stories of triumph.

In the past, people viewed rehab as a place where those who were desolate and destitute in life were taken for recovery.

In reality, rehab centres are filled with people from all walks of life and social statuses, each battling emotional traumas that have left them with permanent scars.

The Standard interviewed recovering addicts who had been caught in the grips of addiction and substance abuse at the John Mututho Empowerment Centre (JOMEC) in Nakuru.

Rachael James* shares how alcohol abuse took hold of her life when she found herself with easy access to money. Working a steady job, she received funds from her parents and also earned from her two companies, where she held director positions, all while working at a bakery during the day.

At 23, she casually started with a glass of wine. But what seemed harmless quickly spiraled out of control. Before long, alcohol became her constant companion, threatening both her job and her livelihood. Her two companies, once thriving, began to crumble as she became consumed by alcoholism, drug addiction, including bhang, and smoking cigarettes. Her clients vanished, and her business fortunes dwindled, all because she could no longer keep up with the demands of her work. “I lost everything because of my drinking. What started as a casual drink turned into a nightmare. The bar became my second home, and soon I wasn’t showing up to work, and when I did, I was always drunk and late until I was let go,” Rachael admits.

Her addiction soon became all-consuming. Alcohol, followed by smoking weed, filled the void, leaving her with nothing but the need for the next fix. Her parents, desperate, could no longer bear to watch her spiral. She ended up living on the streets, surviving in the very places she used to drink, where shelter was the cold ground and a lack of hygiene became part of her daily existence.

Now, after eight months in rehab, Rachael is cautiously optimistic about her future. She holds onto the belief that with time, strength, and support, she will recover fully.

Aron Giatu*, 28, has been in the rehabilitation facility for three months. Giatu, a police officer, shared that he had struggled internally for the longest time and had never felt truly connected to himself or others.

He narrates that when he joined the Kenya police force seven years ago, he appeared highly capable and bursting with potential on the outside, but internally, alcohol had already begun to take a toll on him. He always felt a compulsive urge to do more, get more, and be more.

In 2018, Giatu was posted to Marsabit, Tarbaj, where the working environment was harsh, the weather extremely hot, and the police houses unbearable.

“I started visiting drinking spots frequently after work to avoid going home. This is where my life took a turn, and that’s how I ended up like this. I had friends who were a bad influence, and we were always thinking about alcohol and eventually, weed,” said Giatu.

Giatu requested a transfer in an attempt to escape the peer pressure from his friends, but he had already become a total drunkard. His boss and colleagues constantly complained about his behaviour at work because he often appeared drunk.

In 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, his drinking became worse. As a police officer, he was involved in enforcing the curfew, checking bars, and inspecting wines and spirits outlets. This gave him easy access to free alcohol and substances. He would even miss entire weeks of work. “That was my lowest point in life. I felt like I wanted to take my life. I wanted to quit alcohol completely, but there’s always something in an addict that prevents them from quitting. Every time I called my mother, she would cry on the phone, which made me feel guilty,” he said, with tears in his eyes.

In 2023, he re-evaluated his life, realising that he could lose his job and that he had not yet married. He had a serious conversation with his parents about his intentions to quit alcohol. They then took him to his boss and requested that he be admitted to a rehabilitation centre in Mirema, Nairobi. He stayed there for three months, but when he was released a few weeks later, he relapsed. His craving for alcohol was now twice as strong than when he first entered rehab. “I have been here since January, and my programme is almost done. My body has undergone detoxification, and I’m better than I was when I came in,” Giatu added.

As we completed our interview with Giatu, I noticed another tall, light-skinned young man sitting under a tree in the rehabilitation centre, deep in thought, perhaps lost in a different world. He was reading a book titled Reflections of Africa’s Birdlife.

Maina Mwangi* is an accountant who has worked for many renowned organisations with offices both locally and internationally, including not-for-profit firms and major banks.

He has been addicted for 20 years and attributes his alcoholism to childhood trauma. He says he had a difficult upbringing in a hostile environment. “I would go to work drunk to hide my fears. I was married with two children. Alcohol deprives you of everything: your self-esteem, your work, your family, and your friends. I lost all of this,” he said.

He recalls that a glimmer of hope that life could be tolerable appeared as soon as he learned to drink alcohol. “It changed my feelings. I stopped feeling lonely, and with another drink, I felt like I could actually be part of the group. I became the centre of attention. The world now revolved around me,” Maina chuckles.

By the time he sought rehabilitation, alcohol had become such a big part of his life that it was more important than the air he breathed. “I’m about to be released from this facility, bolder and better. When I came here, I had very low self-esteem. I hope to start afresh, but this time as a different person,” Maina added.

Dr Michael Otieno of JOMEC rehabilitation centre explains that he assists his patients with medically-assisted therapy for drug addiction because they need medication to cope with withdrawal symptoms.

He mentions that most of the patients he receives at the facility are alcoholics, though other substances, such as bhang, cocaine, and cigarettes are also common.

“They are often admitted with withdrawal symptoms, anxiety, and tremors. Sometimes there are other medical conditions that require attention apart from their addiction,” said Otieno.

Dr Otieno explains that the main treatment administered is detoxification, as well as psychotherapy within the three-month programme, before patients are repatriated to society. “Prolonged alcohol use can damage the brain, leading to memory loss and even seizures. It can also cause cardiovascular diseases and stomach cancer due to complications like gastritis,” he added.

Counselling psychologist and expert Cecilia Kariuki states that alcoholism is usually caused by an underlying issue that individuals are trying to cope with.

Kariuki further states that the healing journey cannot begin until the root cause of the issue is identified. The underlying problem could be social, a disorder, or a mental illness.

The National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) chairman John Mututho claims that, in his observation, the number of women alcoholics has increased due to the mental toll of single parenting. He adds that some women have even lost their lives due to alcohol. “Every year, we lose 50 to 100 people due to alcohol, either through addiction, sickness, or accidents. Women have overtaken men in alcohol consumption because of single parenting. The stress has driven them to resort to alcohol,” said Mututho.