SA celebrities and teenage fans in drug clutch

Media reports of drug and alcohol abuse among our musicians, artists, actors and entertainers are prevalent - the most recent case involving hip-hop star 'Jub-Jub' and the death of four teenage students only underlines the associated tragedies of this scourge. Figures from South African National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (Sanca), for just four rehabilitation centres have revealed that at least 329 teenage drug addicts have undergone treatment in the past 12 months while more than 1000 sought help from outpatient centres.

Paul O'Sullivan, chairman of Narconon SA, a world renowned drug and alcohol centre in South Africa since 2002 says "We are concerned about these increase in numbers and if we as a society accept that our celebrities and role-models are drug abusers, then our youth are in serious trouble".

Teenagers between the ages of 13 and 21 who admire these artists and accept them as role models are being admitted as inpatients at various facilities country- wide for up to 42 days to tackle their addictions. Seemingly, South African celeb culture entraps people into cycles of drug and alcohol dependency and as the pressures of fame mounts, dependency rapidly escalates into abuse. Indeed, many beloved entertainers have lost their lives through drug and alcohol abuse, notably Lebo Mathosa, Tsakani 'TK' Mhinga and Tebogo 'TEBZA' Malingoane. The consequences of this cycle of abuse impacts beyond the trials we read about in the media.

Fight drug and alcohol abuse NOW!

"As a community we should not wait until the last tick of the clock to fight drug and alcohol abuse. That is why Narconon, a drug and rehabilitation centre, that focus on holistic intervention, detoxification and commitment to a drug free life have opened our doors for free assessments to all entertainers in Gauteng and in Cape Town. This will assist them to identify whether they have an addiction or not, and if they do have an addiction, how can we assist them to make their lives, drug and alcohol free" O'Sullivan reiterated.

Narconon has been providing drug and alcohol prevention solutions since 2002 in South Africa and provides an extensive drug and alcohol rehabilitation program. The program is a more holistic and more inclusive approach than the standard methodology. It begins with each and every South African acknowledging the existence of a problem and taking heart that together we can eradicate such an epidemic.

Contact Narconon visit the website on www.narconon.co.za and click on Contact Us or call the centre on 27 (0) 11 622 3998 during office hours.