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Addiction counsellor advises youth… Stay away from alcohol, it can ruin your life
Don Richie looked older at 45 years and battling alcoholism (left) than at 50 and overcoming it
When Richard Nii Adjei Otchwemah decided to celebrate his completion of secondary school with alcoholic drinks, little did he know it was going to be the beginning of a long battle with alcoholism for almost 30 years of his life.
‘The Don’ or ‘Don Richie,’ as he was called, because he was always the boss and leader of most activities among his friends, recalled that after their final exam, he and some of his friends decided to do something adventurous to celebrate completion of that level of education.
“Right at the gate of the school, someone was selling palm wine and so we had a good taste of it,” Mr Otchwemah, who is now an Addiction Counsellor disclosed this in an interview with The Spectator on the sidelines of an occasion to celebrate persons who had recovered from substance abuse at the House of St. Francis Alcohol and Drug Addiction Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre in Ashaiman.
He said while waiting for his results, he was taken out regularly by a friend to have a bottle or two of beer.
“Drinking alcohol was not a habit until after Sixth Form when I was posted to a remote village to do my National Service. It was without electricity and water. The food was also bad so the only thing providing us with joy was hard liquor (akpeteshie), which was providing the ‘appetite’ to enjoy the meal” he narrated.
“But at home, I could eat without the alcohol as appetite because the food was good.”
He said after his graduation from University, he got married and was still drinking, recalling how he took his wife to drink.
That continued after marriage as his crave for alcohol became persistent while his wife became concerned and started expressing her displeasure about it.
Mr Otchwemah stated that in the process, he lost his influence on his family and community which previously considered him as a role model and very responsible person.
As if that was not enough, alcoholism affected him greatly when pursuing a Master’s programme. He struggled to study and procrastinated on things to do.
Consequently, he felt his life was moving backwards and begin to lose his friends, family and even his job because he sometimes missed some days at work due to drinking.
The Addiction Counsellor said he spent almost all his time at drinking bars and preferred to be with like-minded people in order not to be discriminated upon.
In the process, he sometimes found himself on the wrong side of the law due to excessive drinking and also sustained various degrees of injuries from falls or fights caused by his drinking habit.
The turning point for him was when some old friends who had shown him so much love and respect over the years spoke to him passionately about the developments in his life and the need for him to get help.
He noted that there was an earlier attempt by some family members to get him to seek help from a rehabilitation centre but he returned home after a month and started drinking again.
According to him, that attempt did not work because he had gone there out of frustration due to the pressure from his friends and a desire to make them happy.
The 50-year old narrated that the approach by his friends did not sound manipulative and so in August 2019, he decided to seek professional help from the House of St. Francis.
“And to the glory of God, I am back to my old self. The last month of August was exactly five since I tasted alcohol. I communicate well and I am polite with people. I say sorry when I offend them and also communicate well if I have concerns about issues without resorting to alcohol. I have not taken alcohol for five years and the good news is that I am helping others to do same,” he said.
He says it was important for society to treat persons battling addiction of any form with love and respect.
“Such people must be treated with respect. If possible, such people should be referred to persons who they respect and have a lot of regard for, because the process is all about conviction.”
He says after recovery, those who helped them should not use the roles they played as an opportunity to manipulate, blackmail or disrespect them otherwise they might relapse out of frustration.
The Addiction Counsellor appealed to the Ministry for Education and the Ghana Education Service (GES) to vigorously start a campaign to get students in the Junior and Senior High Schools to be educated on the dangers of alcohol.
He noted that the focus had over the years been on drugs and weed to the neglect of alcohol which is also destructive to its users.
For the youth, the best advice he could offer them was to abstain from alcohol because it has the potential to destroy them.
From Dzifa Tetteh Tay, Ashaiman