Overcoming any form of addiction can be a long and bumpy road. At times it might feel impossible, but it is not.

We meet Sammy Karinga, a father of four who was 22 years deep into alcoholism but managed to free himself from the shackles of the bottle 13 years ago.

Karinga takes us through his life journey saying he started drinking alcohol while in class two in the year 1980.

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“My father used to drink and smoke cigarettes. When I was as young as in class two, anytime the alcohol and cigarette remained, he would persuade me to finish for him,” he painfully narrates.

According to Mr Karinga, at that young age, he saw no problem consuming it, as everyone in the family including the mother did, apart from one sibling against the eight siblings.

Nevertheless, alcohol was in large quantities in the home thanks to his father.

Mr Karinga notes “This continued until I joined high school where I no longer took alcohol for fun, but to function. I started selling cigarettes in school too.”

Taraji house rehabilitation centre where Mr Karinga works as a manager.

Photo credit: WINNIE KIMANI/MTAA WANGU

He adds that he also indulged in other drugs such as bhang, kuber, miraa and prescribed drugs which would make the body hyped for three to four days.

“In 1991, a year after high school, I got the love of my life and secured a job as a butcher. This meant good money for me, which translated to taking more alcohol at times drinking up to 30 beers a day,” he says.

Read: How drug addiction is affecting the youth in Nakuru

Mr Karinga’s affinity to drugs increased. As time went by, the alcohol intake became too much causing him to be fired from his work place.

The father of two states, “Things got so bad, that at the age of only 22, I was diagnosed with gout. But I kept drinking and using drugs.”

After sometime, Karinga says he secured a job in the club as a manager, where he worked for 15 years before he was sacked.

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“I would consume alcohol worth more than what I earned. Losing that job made me fall into depression and my drinking worsened.”

Karinga narrates how he was so desperate at some point, leading to him selling everything in the house, even his wife’s clothes, at a throw away price.

Additionally, he notes, that he was unable to pay school fees for his children, a role that his parents took up.

And when his sister gave him Sh 10, 000 to start a business, he spent all the money on drugs and alcohol.

“In 2010, my younger sister took me to a rehabilitation centre where I stayed for three months. This was a turning point in my life,” Mr Karinga says.

Although it was not an easy journey, Karinga was able to beat the addiction, taking his life back from the jaws of death.

Mr Karinga is currently a vice chairman in St Veronica Church and a manager of Taraji house rehabilitation centre.

Related: Poor parenting blamed for increased criminal activities in Nakuru

“Parents should take a major role in raising the children in a proper way, by ensuring they have a spiritual connection with God,” he concludes.

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My father introduced me to alcohol when I was in class two

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Winnie Kimani