Jackie Chandiru opened up about her battle with substance abuse and the widespread ignorance surrounding dependancy in Uganda that prompted her to label Ugandans, “silly.”
Chandiru’s wrestle with dependancy started innocently sufficient. She was prescribed Pethidine, a painkiller, to deal with extreme again ache, a situation she had been coping with for a while.
On the similar time, she was battling insomnia, on account of the pressures of the music trade.
The painkiller, designed to assist her along with her again points, quickly turned a crutch that provided reduction not simply from ache but in addition from the insomnia that had disturbed her for years.
“I might barely sleep greater than 4 hours per week,” Jackie recalled. As a substitute of resting, she would typically spend her nights on YouTube, researching for her music initiatives.
When the painkiller allowed her to relaxation, it appeared like a miracle resolution, offering her with the reduction she so desperately wanted.
Nonetheless, what started as a strategy to handle her well being points quickly spiraled into full-blown dependency.
It began off as a therapy, however dependancy crept in slowly.
Within the interview with Susan Makula Bujjingo, Chandiru criticised Ugandans for his or her lack of know-how and for the frequent false impression that dependancy is solely tied to substances like marijuana.
What individuals don’t perceive is that dependancy might be something. I say this not in a nasty method however I feel typically Ugandans are silly as a result of whenever you speak about dependancy, they all the time consider marijuana. They neglect that individuals might be hooked on something—telephones, buying, pornography, surgical procedures, and even drinks.
She additionally expressed her disappointment with the way in which her dependancy was perceived within the media and by the general public.
Many assumed her struggles had been a direct results of the pressures of the music trade, however Jackie was fast to make clear that her dependancy had nothing to do along with her profession.
After I got here out and introduced my dependancy downside, Ugandans determined to mould it that it was due to the music enterprise. The reality is, music had nothing to do with my dependancy—it was a well being downside.
