Charles Lartey, a reformed drug addict, has expressed regret for dropping out of secondary school due to his addiction to hard drugs.
He revealed that he began using alcohol at the age of 13 while speaking on Frontline on Rainbow Radio 87.5Fm.
He told host Kwabena Agyapong that he began drinking alcohol because he grew up in a family where alcohol was widely consumed.
Apart from his father and mother, he claimed that everyone else in the house used drugs and alcohol.
He started smoking cigarettes at age 15 and was about to graduate from Junior High school, and from there, ”I started smoking ‘wee”, he disclosed.
Charles Lartey stated that he was introduced to ‘wee’ by friends.
In a sober state, he stated that the hard drug had destroyed his relationship with his father.
“I am unable to look at or converse with my father. Our relationship has been ruined by my drug use. That has been my painful experience with drugs.”
He later discovered that his senior sister was using heroin and cocaine and was stealing items from him to sell so she could use these drugs.
This piqued his interest, and he began abusing heroin and cocaine to satisfy his curiosity.
He warned that the use of hard drugs has serious consequences because it can deprive the user of better opportunities and the ability to bond with family and friends.
He has advised young people not to use drugs if they want to live a responsible life based on his experience.
He said ”I used drugs for 25 years, and when I look back, I feel ashamed because I dropped out of school, and I now rely on my siblings when I should be the one to take care of them. I left home and joined friends and went on a stealing spree with my gang, got assaulted several times and nearly got killed on one occasion.”
Another shocking revelation he made was that he was embarking on evangelism, and when he was given money from passengers, he used it for drugs because he did not want to steal because some of his friends had gotten into trouble, with some serving a 25-year prison term.
He and his senior sister are currently undergoing rehabilitation at the Chosen Rehab Centre.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana