My high school teacher sympathised with me and took me to rehab

Tell us a bit about your background and upbringing.
I am the first born in a family of five siblings and was raised by a single mother. My father died when I was very young, leaving my mother a widow.  My father was also an alcoholic and his death was a result of excessive drinking.  His death left my mother, who was a housewife then, in a bad situation and she was forced to do odd jobs in coffee plantations in order to sustain us. Luckily, she got a job at the Kiambu County Commissioner’s office which made it possible for us to pursue secondary education.

How did you get into drugs?
Well, most of my relatives, including my uncles and aunties were booze lovers and whenever I visited their houses, they would give me some to taste. Slowly by slowly, I found myself hooked to alcohol. When I went to high school, I met fellow alcoholics and drug users while others were peddlers.  This made it easier for me to continue drinking and also opened me up to other drugs such as marijuana, benzos, and ‘zii’ tablets, among others.