This archive report was first published on 28 August 2019.
In Ethiopia, a rehab centre tackles khat addiction ¶
Yonas Getu Molla, a former architecture student, started chewing khat as a way to stay awake and study late into the night. However, he soon found himself addicted to the stimulant and went on to develop drug and alcohol addictions, which cost him his career, savings, and family respect.
"One substance would follow the other substance," Yonas said. "It's like a coin -- the back and the front."
Published on August 28, 2019, at 09:30 UTC, this article was originally published by AFP.
While banned in many countries, chewing khat is commonplace in Ethiopia and the wider Horn of Africa region. Many see it as a cultural activity rather than a societal problem. However, some users are frank about the side effects: loss of appetite, damaged teeth, and lack of sleep.
Welday Hagos, a clinical psychologist and director of the Mekele-based Substance Rehabilitation Centre, believes that khat is a gateway drug to harder substances. He told AFP that more than 80 percent of the 500 patients who have stayed at the centre since it opened in 2015 started out chewing khat.
"After that they add cigarettes, after that they add alcohol. That's why it is the main gate for different drugs," Welday said. "We are not on the right track. We have to increase the knowledge of our population of the consequences of khat chewing."
Much like harder drugs, quitting khat takes a physical and emotional toll on long-time users, Welday said. They complain of everything from irritability to nightmares and wild fluctuations in appetite.
Despite the complaints, there is little consensus among health experts on how addictive khat actually is. As well as individual and group therapy sessions, users treated at the centre are prescribed medication for withdrawal symptoms. They are also offered "spiritual sessions", the chance to work out in a makeshift gym or by playing football and entrepreneurship training.
Domestic consumption of khat is growing, especially among university students, Welday said, referring to several studies, including one published last year. Sporadic campaigns by local civil society groups have failed to result in a ban like those imposed in Britain and the United States.
"In some parts of the country, especially in the eastern parts, people do not see it as a problem," Welday said. "They use it for cultural celebrations and other things, similar to alcohol."
In an area of Addis Ababa known as Little Mogadishu, khat is often referred to as "green gold". On a recent afternoon, its sleepy streets came alive with the arrival of a van bearing freshly picked khat from Harar.
Some residents of the Substance Rehabilitation Centre say their lives were ruined by khat even without moving on to other addictions. Mohammed Kelifa, 30, chewed khat for nine years. He would stay up all night chatting up women on Facebook, he said. After his wife found out, their marriage ended in divorce.
"I want to remarry and start a family and get my self-respect back," Mohammed said. "Most people, when they leave this place, they fear that they will relapse, but I don't have that feeling."
