Age Of First Drug Use

Figure 2: Graph showing responses for ages of first time use across substance
************************************************************************************

The typical addict in the Maldives usually starts using drugs between the ages of 12 to 16. This was the time that our friends mattered to us more than anything or anyone else, and we desperately wanted to fit in. We did it just for the kick, to show people that we were tough. We could not risk being labeled “un-cool” (katu[1]) by our friends, so when it was offered to us for the first time we could not refuse. We had it and found that it was something that was too good to ever say no.

“My friends used tablets then but they did not push me. I felt very left alone when they are on a high so I thought that perhaps I would use. And I did and I got so crazy “ (NP, addict, age unknown).

We could not risk saying no to our friends. We could tell them that we were afraid of what might happen if someone found out. Our friends could turn to be real bullies if they wanted to and can even embarrass us in public. We used just to let them know that we were made of the stuff that they wanted.

From that moment, our behavior changed rapidly. We changed physically and mentally. Our values changed and so did our priorities. Our whole world focused on drugs and the high that it brought us. Everything else was a burden. Our life started officially in the hidden world of addiction and the drugs had become our lives and we didn’t have time for anything else.

It is a fact that during the first days of drug use, there were many people who were willing to give us drugs. We were invited to use and given more than we could take. Wherever we looked, we had people willing to share their drugs with us. We felt that we were accepted and we became more confident.

“I started seeing this girl who lived at the house I bought my drugs from. She was very young then around 12 years old. She would come over to my house as well. One day she told me that she wanted to try some drugs. I thought she was using anyway because her family was using and she lived in that house. She asked me what drugs I used, and I told her that I liked to mix my drugs. I used heroin and I used tablets as well as hash. I told her I had Valium, joints and grass with me. She wanted to try some Valium. After she took the tablets she said she was feeling hot and took off her shirt. I started rolling a joint because I knew she would want to try that too. I knew what would happen if she smoked the joint while she was on the Valium as well. I knew it would be easier for me to have sex with her when she was like that. After that she was always at my house. She spent more time with my family than I did. She had easy access to my house and room and she could get into my drug stash that way. She only stopped coming by when she found out that I had slept with her cousin.” (IM, male recovering addict, 33 years old).

*************************************************************************************

“A foreigner introduced us to heroin. I was about 14 years old. He came to my friends’ house where we used to hang out. We all tasted it and we found that it was better than hash oil. We get higher on it. We get more active and it feels like we are in Heaven. That man gave us 15 grams for free. I didn’t know anything about heroin and at the time I didn’t want to know anything about it either. We didn’t sell it, we decided to keep it somewhere safe and have fun with it together. We used it daily.” (AA, male recovering addict, 27 years old).

We wanted them to remain our friends so we gave what we could. We had access to money. So we could spend that money on our newfound friends. But as we fell deeper into addiction, we realized that this was not a genuine gesture of friendship or love. This was a phase of the game. After we became dependent on the drugs we found that the people who willingly offered it to us before did not want to give it to us anymore. We had to beg, borrow or steal in order to get our fix.

Sometimes if we had no money, the dealers would request us to hand over such valued items. Later, we ran out of our money and had no way to get hold of the drugs. By that time our parents and family were aware of our problems and that is when the real troubles begin. Our secret is no longer a secret; instead it was out in the open. Everyone knew about it but in our “ignorance is bliss” mode - we would just deny it.

[1] katu: Dhivehi word for ‘uncool’