You can recover from any addiction: Mulonda shares his story

Health 

Are you struggling with any addictions? Moustapha  Mulonda   a financial and research consultant with a number of  East African Universities   and  also  an employee at  Hope and Beyond Rehabilitation Centre says it easy to beat any addiction.

Mulonda who is   a recovered alcohol addict says once you accept   that you have a problem, then you can obtain help.

"My journey to drinking started when I was in Primary Seven at a family party," he says, "This went on throughout secondary education. However at University in 2000, the habit got out of hand. My father tried to enroll me to different universities. These included Congo, Togo,  Ghana and lastly Uganda.

"In Ghana, I studied for one semester as I spent the rest of the tuition, $75 on alcohol.

"Furious, my father refused to pay for me school fees again. So, I left Ghana to Nigeria. Where I joined a missionary programme in an SDA church selling Christian books to raise tuition. I got the funds, but spent it all on alcohol.

"My father had given up on me, but at the counsel of my brother, I was enrolled at Bugema University in 2006. I finally managed to finish my degree in 2009 in accounting and finance.

"But while there, after I had completed my masters' degree, things became worse.  I failed to take care of my family.   So, I had to shift it from a big house in city to a small one in rural areas. Worse, still I was depending on my family for financial support.

"This was because any money I got, I could spend it on alcohol. The addiction also affected my health. My legs started swelling; my vision was not clear and also my liver was affected. My wife developed high blood pressure and my children were sad.

"Consequently, I started isolating myself from useful people to useless ones. My company was with people in stone quarries. In local bars, I   washed plastic plates and glasses in exchange for a drink.

"Aside from that, at Bugema University where I had been an assistant lecturer, I was fired. I had a financial consultancy business but it stopped functioning. 

"One time, I spent sh1.2m after receiving my wage. My friends advised me to celebrate at the bar. I did and by the time it got to morning, I had nothing including my phone which was stolen."

In 2014, counselors from the university referred Mulonda to a rehabilitation centre.  Unfortunately, he did relapse, but more than determined, Mulonda returned there in 2018 where has remained sober since then.

Seeking for help

You first of all have to accept you have a problem and willing to be helped. At the rehabilitation centre, the doctors remove all the toxins in the body, which causes the cravings.  

They also equip you with mechanisms of coping instead of using alcohol. They tell you are useful and you can be sober and contribute positively to your community.

Additionally, they help you to figure out what you can do with your life now that you are sober.  You are then attached to a therapist who can walk with you through the journey.

Current life

Mulonda has found work and happiness again.  He has a stable marriage and good relations with his extended family. He still does his consultancy work   and spends his money wisely.

Dr. David Kalema a counselor and psychologist at the centre intimates that 90% of those addicted are in denial.  He therefore calls upon those people who know them to talk to a counselor for proper guidance and never to give up on them.