Nico Kaboso is 41 years old, living in Dar es Salaam Tanzania he is married and a father of one child, he is currently an ex-drug user enrolled in a methadone clinic at Mwananyamala Hospital in Kinondoni Municipality. He has been using drugs for 10 years, since 2010.
He got involved
himself with drug consumption in 2007 when he was a drug retailer. Due to
engaging himself and being close with people using drugs, slowly in 2010
started using drugs and later on became an active and addicted drug user.
I met with one of the peer educators from STEPS Tanzania in early March 2020, who was allocated at our Maskani in Kimara to provide harm reduction services to people using drugs. She regularly runs sessions on behavior change on issues related to HIV and drug use as well as other sessions related to medically assisted Treatment for injecting drug users, i.e. methadone education and linkage of eligible clients.
When I attended her Class she told us her personal story as she was also a drug user like me and others and succeeded to benefit from methadone treatment after being enrolled in MAT clinic and later, became a community peer educator as a role model to others. I became interested and gave her a room to provide me with further information and relevant services.
‘’ I asked for one on one sessions with her, expressed my desire to quit using drug and request for assistance from her. Surprisingly without any charges, she helped me all with MAT related information and the whole process’’
From my heart, I’m strong now to say openly that STEPS Tanzania helped me arrange for methadone treatment after being addicted to drug use, I was not able to sleep without taking three times daily doses. She invited me at her office, together with other team members, set up a MAT preparatory sessions plan, and started with counseling then taught me several issues including, what puts people on decisions to start and continue with taking drugs, we also discussed about moral issues and realized that my compulsive drug use was not a moral issue but a disease called addiction. They explained that my drug use had nothing to do with will power. In fact, my addictive behaviors were completely out of my control. They also taught me on effects of drugs- from individual’s perspective which touched issues of reducing income, mental and physical health hazardous, family and societal related issues including stigma, isolation and rejection, etc.
At the MAT preparatory sessions, people spoke about the importance of humility, acceptance, and making amends for past behaviours. I was told that I am not responsible for my addiction, but I am responsible for my recovery. These concepts sounded odd to me when I first started coming around. Thanks to STEPS Tanzania my life has turned around completely. I have gone from someone that my community tried to avoid to someone who is often sought out for professional and personal counsel and advice. I feel that I am a far better member of society today than I ever was before. This is because I now live in hope rather than fear.
My promise and short message
to my Peers and other community members, “I will always be an addict. There
will always be a part of me that wants to use drugs. However, as long as STEPS
Tanzania services is available, as long as I can meet with and help others
recovering, I will stay clean and change agent”.