Recovery is possible, Recovery is happening!
My name is Fatima Abiola Popoola and I work as a Law Enforcement Officer at the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency in Nigeria. In the last thirteen years, my life has been transformed by a new understanding of how I can help people who are suffering the consequences of using drugs.
In 2010, I was transferred by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency to the Department of Drug Demand Reduction. As soon as I was transferred, I started attending trainings sponsored by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on how to counsel, advocate and help people who use drugs, especially arrested users. Since then, I have attended many more UNODC trainings on drug use prevention, counseling, treatment, and sensitization; in fact, I am now a Master Trainer for UNODC on Drug Prevention Treatment and Care (DPTC). After working as a law enforcement officer in the field of supply reduction for so many years, my new role as an addiction counselor was both eye-opening and fulfilling. For years, I understood-- first-hand--- the enormous problems caused by drug abuse and trafficking, and the need for stringent laws to address the behaviors of people who use drugs and commit crimes. But now I see both sides of the issue as never before. I have new appreciation for prevention, treatment, and other drug demand reduction activities, including recovery support services for ex-users and their families.
The problems beginning in 2020 with the worldwide pandemic crisis cannot be easily erased from our memory. But I believe that the plague of COVID-19 also came with a lot of opportunities as well. In December 2020, I was invited by the Colombo Plan’s Drug Advisory Programme to join the Recovery Allies Pilot Online Training also known as “ALLIES,” which is an acronym for Allies Link and Lend Inventive Engaging Support. This training opened my eyes. I saw with great clarity there is a lot more to do for recovering drug users than is being done-- and most importantly, that I could be of great service to that mission. The Colombo Plan ALLIES training initiated a journey for me to become a Recovery Ally, a Trainer for the Universal Recovery Curriculum (URC), and a trained professional who works alongside other professionals to help persons seeking and in recovery within my own community.
The Recovery Ambassadors
During my recent duties in drug demand reduction counseling, I have seen first-hand how desperate many recovering drug users are: many have no home to go to; many lack money for daily food, and much needed medications. But alongside their desperation, I also see a burning desire and a true willingness to permanently change their drug use habits and live a better life.
Sometimes various aspects of one’s life become intertwined and come together---like so many streams flowing into a single river. That is what it was like for me when it came to my journey as a recovery ally. In the year 2016, I became involved with a group of 10 young men who had passed through treatment and were living in stable recovery in my community. We all came together under the name “Recovery Ambassadors.” The mission of Recovery Ambassadors is to help other drug users who have passed through addiction treatment and who need support in continuing their recovery journey. In addition, the members of our group--who are mostly young people--engage in the recruitment of other users in the community to join our group. Since 2016, our once very small membership of Recovery Ambassadors has increased to almost 30 members. In the past 5 years, the Recovery Ambassadors group has helped about 65 youths in various empowerment programs to improve their lives—physically, socially, and spiritually. These youths have become useful to their families and the surrounding community, choosing to attend months of vocational skills training in tailoring, shoemaking, and other life skills. Some have returned to college or are attending college for the first time. Still others, who were involved in crops and livestock farming, are now back on the farms earning a living to help themselves and their families. Our Recovery Ambassador group helped these former users in many practical ways, such as accompanying them to the hospital for doctors’ and counseling appointments, supporting them in obtaining their prescribed medications, and following the proper use of medications as directed by their doctors. When 2020 arrived, along with the chance to attend the Recovery ALLY training, I was indeed very ripe to learn, grow, and become more involved in recovery than ever before. I can honestly say that my foundation with the Recovery Ambassador Group motivated me to become an active Recovery Ally. Now, in 2023, I see clearly how the many “rivers” of learning about recovery have come together in my life: first, being transferred to the demand reduction department; second, my involvement in the Recovery Ambassadors group; and third, my participation in the Recovery ALLIES training. These three “rivers” have transformed me into a true believer in the power of recovery. Today I am a very optimistic believer that recovery from drug addiction is not only achievable, but also happening despite the odds!! MY HOPE AND ASPIRATIONS
Going forward from 2021 until now, I have participated in various Universal Recovery Curriculum (URC) trainings, both locally and internationally. In Nigeria, over 100 (one hundred) professionals have been trained on the URC by various organizations and I am proud to be part of these. Our goal is to double the number of trainees in the coming year. Today I aspire to collaborate with other professionals, to train more people on how to care for people in recovery, and to passionately serve those in my community and beyond.