• He opened up about using alcohol, chewing miraa, using cocaine, smoking bhang, drinking chang'aa, busaa.
• Drug abuse and alcoholism are the bane of many youths’ existence, despite efforts to eradicate them.
Image: FILE
Embakasi East Member of Parliament Paul Ongili alias Babu Owino has revealed that he used to struggle with drug abuse amid his journey of success as a National Assembly member.
In an interview with Kenyans, he said that he did not regret his past lifestyle as he was still young and wanted to explore and experience life's adventures.
“I don’t regret having been in that life because now it has made me realize it's not good to be involved in such a lifestyle,” he said.
He opened up on using alcohol, chewing miraa, using cocaine, smoking bhang, drinking chang'aa, busaa, and muratina - in short, using all kinds of drugs.
“Having done all this, I knew the juice was not worth the squeeze. I was just a fan at that moment. It was a decision I made that enough is enough, and I needed to move forward,” he said.
“Everything is a state of mind. I made a decision to stop using alcohol and drugs. I stopped it personally without stepping into any rehab.”
The MP stated that he quit drugs in January 2020 and has been sober since then.
Drug abuse and alcoholism are the bane of many youths’ existence, despite efforts to eradicate them.
Some addicts become so consumed by alcohol and drugs that they often lose their jobs or drop out of school, particularly in colleges and universities.
Youths who have managed to break free from the yoke of addiction have appealed to others to keep off drugs, as concerted efforts are put in place to fight alcoholism in Central Kenya.
Successfully rehabilitated youths have given harrowing tales of their addictions and the plunge their lives took because of it.
The government, with the support of the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA), adopted a different approach to the campaign against alcohol and drug abuse, thanks to political goodwill from the country's top leadership, Parliament, and other state organs
This approach has seen more public participation and community involvement at the grassroots.