Johannesburg - Surrounded by the rot and decay of the Johannesburg CBD, stands a half-way house where recovering drug addicts are finding hope in a hopeless area.
The Bereshith Centre in Jeppestown, which means ‘a new beginning’ in Greek, opened its doors in May and is providing care and shelter to a group of young men who say it’s now or never for them to turn their lives around.
The Bereshith Centre is funded by the Love of Christ Ministries Church with its head office in Palmridge. Most of the young ‘recoveries’ found themselves sleeping on the streets or in abandoned buildings before they found their new home under the guidance of ‘Uncle Paul’ as they affectionately call the director of the centre, Paul James.
Most of the young men cannot go home just yet, the ties to the family bonds are too broken, but they all expressed a desire to do right by their families. Some stole valuable items from their family homes and even laundry from the washing lines to support their habit. The group of young men, on average, have been drug addicts for 10 years, many of them started in their early teens.
Raylan Bezuidenhout (24) was addicted to crystal meth and dagga for 10 years and this is his first time in a rehab centre.
“I have an N3 in Mechanical Engineering, but I haven't used those skills,” he said.
“I have stolen from my family but we are on speaking terms now. My father brought me here.
“When I first quit, the cravings were really bad. You sometimes feel that you can hit someone if you don’t get your fix. I cannot really describe the feeling. But I get a lot of encouragement here – we all share our stories and that helps,” he said.
Apart from the damage to his family life, Bezuidenhout said he often experienced memory loss and cannot remember everything he did when he was high.
Brendan Naidoo (25) was addicted to CAT and dagga for six years.
“Nobody really took an interest in me. My mom and I speak now, but we didn’t for a while.
“Here at Bereshith, I have found a purpose and a vision for my life. I am here to learn from the other guys so that I can be better. I remember a woman offering me sex so that she could earn money for her fix. You will almost do anything to feed your habits,” he said.
Naidoo is the second eldest of six children.
“We were never really a real family. There was no father figure and I was always depressed growing up,” he said.
“My father was locked up when I was seven years old. I often saw my friends doing things with their fathers and I didnt have that. I stole and hung out with the wrong friends. The support I need to get through this phase of my life, I get it from the guys here. We are like a brotherhood.”
Lthaniel West (24) was a slave to crystal meth, mandrax and weed for 10 years.This is his 16th stint at a rehab centre.
“I stayed in an abandoned building before I came here. I was even a drug runner at one stage. My friends always gave me the drugs. I didn’t really buy for myself. I am an artist and I also enjoy spinning cars,” he said.
West said when his parents eventually kicked him out of the family home, he ended up staying in a drug house, right next to his parents.
“Even though I was not staying at home, I still stole jewellery from my mom. But now my mom knows that I am here and things are better,”he said.
Kyle Khan (33) was addicted to crystal meth and mandrax for 15 years and this is his 14th time at a rehab centre.
“I feel now is the right time for me to get better. I have the will and I think my age also helps. You look around and you see that your peers moving forward. I want to make a difference in this world. Right now I just feel empty,” he said.
Khan said he got hooked on drugs at high school and peer pressure played a huge role in his addiction.
“I grew up in an area where gangs ruled. My mom even took out a protection order against me. Fortunately, I met uncle Paul in Polokwane. Since I have been here, I have felt a freedom that I never felt before.
“That’s what opening up about your problems can do. I have also realised that this is not something I can do on my own. By speaking about what happened with us and the things we did, it gives me hope and I now know that there is a way out,” he said.
Khan said during one of his drug binges, he spoke non-stop to himself for 18 hours. That’s when his mom intervened and sought help. Most of the recoveries said that after a heavy binge they would go without sleep for three to four days.
Andre Ellen was addicted to crystal meth and mandrax for 10 years. He has a keen interest in boiler-making and writes music.
“I was 16 when I started with drugs. My daughter passed away and just before I came here, my son was taken away from me. I attended a support group in Krugersdorp and that is how I heard about Bereshith and Uncle Paul. I am here to change my life for me and my family,” he said.
Some of the “recoveries” have gone through the process of apologising to their families for the harm they caused – a process they said that was even harder than the detox stage.
All the “recoveries“ share the same feeling of embarrassment when they think back of what they put their families through, but, as the name of the centre says, this is a new beginning for all of them.