A medical doctor with the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Enugu, Dr. Vincent Chinonso Ogbuogu, has shared his harrowing journey through drug addiction, recounting how substance abuse nearly claimed his life shortly after graduating from university.

Ogbuogu, who now advocates against drug abuse, spoke as a panelist at the Anti-Substance Abuse Programme (ASAP) Stakeholders’ Conference held at the International Conference Centre (ICC), Enugu.

He said he was awaiting his housemanship as a fresh graduate when he became trapped in addiction, a struggle that lasted several years and almost ended in tragedy.

According to him, the defining moment came on November 16, 2021, when he suffered a near-fatal overdose after mixing crack cocaine and heroin, a dangerous combination commonly known on the streets as “Thailand.”

“I mixed it and smoked it in my room. I almost passed out. What was acted in the drama here today was exactly what happened to me. I lost myself completely,” he recalled.

The doctor said the experience marked a turning point in his life and prompted him to seek help at the rehabilitation centre of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Enugu.

Reflecting on his past, Ogbuogu said it was particularly painful because he had been one of the brightest undergraduates in his school before drugs altered the course of his life.

Warning young people against experimenting with drugs, he stressed that addiction can destroy dreams, careers, finances and health.

“There is nothing good that comes from drug abuse. It takes everything from you. It destroys your finances, career, health, and can eventually kill you,” he said.

Ogbuogu noted that preventing substance abuse must begin with practical and sustained awareness campaigns targeted at young people, especially in schools.

He argued that many youths unknowingly fall into addiction because they are unable to identify dangerous substances when they encounter them. (The Nation)