A mother's worst nightmare: "My son got addicted to heroin without realising it"
In an exclusive interview with Jane, a mother from the Upper Highway area has candidly spoken up about how her son got addicted to heroin unknowingly, and how he went from being someone she knew and understood to being someone completely different.
Listen to Jane's interview with the mom about her son's addiction, or read the details under the podcast.
A friend of Jane recently got in touch with her and wanted to find out if she would be willing to interview this Durban-based mom about her son's story. We have chosen to keep the identity of the mother and son anonymous.
READ: "East Coast Radio saved me from drugs," shares Darren Maule with Bongani
He was a 15-year-old boy from an ordinary home in the Upper Highway area. He was home-schooled, obsessed with animals, and mountain bike riding. Now he's sitting in a rehab facility after being addicted to heroin - an addiction he was unaware of.
It all began when his mother started noticing his erratic behaviour. He started getting aggressive with his own family. His moods were all over the place. The mom mentioned that it was completely out of the ordinary to witness her sweet son in this way - it was completely out of character.
He was like a different child, he was possessed. It was not our child
After extensive digging to get to the bottom of understanding why his behaviour did a 360, the mother discovered that the son was addicted to Heroin. He insisted that he never touched drugs before - and then her worst nightmare came true.
Her son attended Youth at a local church, and it was there that he got access to the Heroin. But little did he know that he was actually doing it, as the vape he was smoking innocently was laced with it. Children as young as 11 were experimenting with it.
READ: Ex-heroin addict takes stand against substance abuse
In addition to this, it opened a whole other can of worms, which included the underworld of drug and child trafficking - which is happening right in our own backyard.
Jane caught up with Brad Nathanson, a Private Investigator from Brad Nathanson Investigations who shared his view on child trafficking in Durban.
Listen then read below:
We also received a voice note from a listener regarding Heroin and drug trafficking in the Kloof area.
Listen to the podcast below:
"We want to tell families to come forward and educate your kids," urged the mother during the candid interview.
Her son has a long road to recovery ahead. He is currently at a rehab facility out of the province and has to be there for a total of nine months.
Parents - take time to educate your kids on the dangers of what's out there. Listen to the exclusive interview with Jane, and share this mother's plea and story to inform other parents to be vigilant.
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