STAFF REPORTER
The Brackenfell police hosted a drug awareness programme at Brackenfell High School on Wednesday March 16.
Guest speaker Shanet Regal, an addiction counsellor at the Enez Foundation, gave a presentation which focused on addiction and how it manifests in the individual, said Warrant Officer Erica Crous, spokeswoman for Brackenfell police station.
Warrant Officer Crous said the presentation had been insightful. “(Ms Regal) was able to take her presentation back to practical examples in the testimony of the person in recovery.”
A recovering addict also shared his experience with the teens.
Warrant Officer Crous said the addict started using drugs when he was a teenager, thinking he could stop whenever he wanted, but it wasn’t to be.
He only started his recovery several years later, after hitting rock bottom and realising he needed to change his ways. With the correct support he was able to start the process of recovery, Warrant Officer Crous said.
“The purpose of this awareness (event) was to educate and empower the listeners about addiction without glorifying addiction or amplifying the consequences of addiction,” she said.
The Grade 12 senior council of Brackenfell High School also took the opportunity to take a stance against drug abuse and proclaimed their school to be a drug-free zone.