Geluksdal – Leonardo Puzi (31) shared his journey as a former drug addict, highlighting that recovery was lengthy and full of hardships.
He was a drug addict for 15 years and began smoking dagga in high school, which later progressed to using khat.
“On the day I received my final matric results in 2011, I bought my first bag of khat. I smoked khat for about eight years and was later diagnosed with a heart-failing disease. It was in 2019 that the doctor told me I had only 18 months to live.
“That’s when I decided to advance to smoking crystal meth because it did not need to be inhaled,” Puzi said.
He said he was a spoilt brat growing up and received a monthly allowance from his parents, which allowed him to afford his habits.
“Every month, I used to buy a big bag of drugs, which would cost me R200 at the time. For two full years, my family didn’t know I was on drugs,” he said
He said no one influenced him to use crystal meth; it was a decision he took alone. Puzi said advancing to crystal meth was his downfall. It turned his life upside down, and he lost everything.
“When my family found out about my addiction, I had lost myself and their trust. I eventually dropped out of university. I formed friendships with the wrong crowd. I became a gangster and started terrorising my family,” he added.
He alluded that everyone in his family feared him, including the children.
“They would run away each time they saw me enter through the gate. My own child was terrified of me. It was the saddest part of my life. I was demonic, and the drugs took total control of my life.
“I did the craziest things – walking around the yard undressed and demanding money from my family. My addiction made me suicidal to the point where I even stole my father’s firearm,” he mentioned.
Leonardo and Katie Puzi.
In 2021, Puzi’s mother, Katey, started attending support groups at the Bereshith Centre to understand her son’s addiction.
She wanted to understand what he was going through and how the drugs were affecting him. Later that year, Puzi’s health deteriorated.
“Seeing myself in that state was devastating. I decided it was time to turn my life around and seek help.
“My mother referred me to Bereshith, where I started my rehabilitation for six months. It was a life-changing decision. I decided I no longer needed drugs, and I have been sober for two years and one month since,” Puzi remarked.
With teary eyes, he explained how the first six months after recovery were full of temptations. He said that after rehab, he still needed emotional support, and that is when Bereshith’s branch leader, Nadia Stoep, started an aftercare programme to help people recover from drugs.
“The programme allowed us to express ourselves and share our challenges openly,” he added.
Puzi has since volunteered at Bereshith to give back to the community and help other addicts who want to change their lives.
He reflected on the support he received from his mother throughout his recovery journey, emphasising that she stood by him since day one.
“Through the grace of God and my mother’s support, I can stand tall and tell my story today,” he cited.
He described how his mother’s support provided light when he most needed it.
“To fully recover from substance abuse, it needs to come from within. You should not be forced to seek help, but rather the one suffering should reach a conclusive decision,” PUZI said.
Katie expressed gratitude for God’s intervention in her son’s life, adding that his life changed because of God’s grace.
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“I thank God every day for assisting my son. His healing and sobriety did not come easy. God is capable of many things, and I am grateful that he managed to change my son into the man he is,” she said.
Brandin Felix, a student, counsellor and psychologist, said substance abuse affects physical, emotional and psychological behaviours.
“From loss of weight and appetite to high and low levels of emotions, anger, depression, shame, guilt. It affects emotional regulation and sleeping and eating patterns,” said Felix.
“Drugs create a form of dependency which alters your brain and the chemicals released from a natural healthy hit of dopamine. For example, regularly exercising creates neutral pathways that later develop into a healthy habit of living.”
He underlined that counselling offers a space for addicts to be open about what they are experiencing and guides them on how to handle various situations.
“The most crucial part is that we believe Jesus heals, and from this foundation, we work through what we need to.
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Leonardo Puzi is grateful to have another chance in life.
“We keep in mind that recovery is not a quick fix. It happens gradually, day by day, step by step. And life after addiction is the stage of recovery where people truly find themselves,” he concluded.
Leonardo Puzi has changed his life after 15 years as a drug addict.
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