THE Salvation Army Drug Rehabilitation Programme in Guyana last Tuesday hosted a successful ‘Reunion and Fellowship’ for Clients and ex-clients of the programme, at its Water Street, Kingston facility in the city.

The forum, which brought together dozens of clients, fully rehabilitated, as well as those recovering from substance abuse, was a refreshing evening of worship, entertainment, reflections and fine cuisine, during which the clients mingled with family-members, friends, counsellors, officers of the Salvation Army and members of the Advisory Board.

The first of its kind in the life of the Army’s Drug Rehabilitation Programme, the occasion was characterized by a great outpouring of emotions and accommodating uninhibited testimonies by the clients who expressed appreciation for the programme which reformed and gave new meaning to their lives.

Items on the programme included a praise and worship session led by Pastor Morris Adams who for the last five years has been assisting the staff in shepherding the clients to Christianity; addresses by Divisional Commander, Major Sinous Theodore and other Salvation Army Officials; Chairman of the Advisory Board – Mr. Edward Boyer and a delightfully entertaining Karaoke, showcasing the talents of clients and family members, followed by dinner.

The testimonies were many, but the common thread running through them all was that the men each told of having at some point in time an ardent desire to join the programme and get out of the quagmire of addiction.

One young man, recalling some initial hiccups experienced leading up to his admission to the programme, stated: �ter about two weeks waiting and can’t get through, I said, ‘wait man, like I ain’t gon get a chance to recover from this drug addiction’.”

Another declared: “Ladies and gentlemen, I feel so proud and happy this afternoon, being amongst so many people like you, because where drugs had taken me — for years, the only people who used to be around me was ‘stink people’. Such was my life as a drug addict.”

And another still, testified that after years of substance abuse, all he could do and think about was ‘smoking’. His entire thought process was centred around ‘smoking’. “So when I heard about the Salvation Army Drug programme, I thought it was a place where they would teach you to smoke more good,” he recounted. But on entering he found that it was a programme which would help rid him of his drug addiction, clean him up, show him love and acceptance, teach him income generating skills, and generally help him realize his potential and living a positive life.

Chairman of the Advisory Board, Mr. Edward Boyer, who has a great interest in the Rehabilitation Programme and expends much time and energy towards ensuring it works, related an experience in which a substance abuser once told him: “Sir, I can’t break off of this thing, because the people I work for ‘own me’. Warning them against drug involvement, he admonished the men – rehabilitated and recovering, never to let anybody think that they can ‘own them’. ȁYou have a mind of your own, and the only person who must own you is the Creator up there,” Mr. Boyer stressed.

Essentially Mr. Boyer expressed delight and shared the news with all present that President Bharrat Jagdeo had recently given another $5M to aid the rehabilitation programme in 2009. He urged them to be circumspect, stick to the programme and maximize on its benefits, since the major driving force behind the president’s decision to help the programme was that he was impressed with its functioning. Chairman Boyer added that President Jagdeo had expressed a desire to work along with the Programme to ensure its continued success.