If former drug user Mark Cassar could travel back in time, he would choose his friends more carefully, he told a group of students aged 13 – his age when he was first introduced to illicit substances.
“Even though I used to have fun with them, they weren't the right sort of friends,” Mr Cassar, who was a heavy drug user by the age of 16, told students at the Millennium Chapel in Paceville.
Reaching out to Caritas for the second time some six years ago was Mr Cassar's last resort. And although rehabilitation was difficult, once clean, he felt like he had been reborn.
Mr Cassar, a member of Caritas Youths, helps others overcome their addiction by working with Caritas Malta as a facilitator. Helping others to overcome their drug dependency and start living again has been a “blessing” for him.
Mr Cassar was speaking to a group of students at the Millennium Chapel for what is known as the Wow Xperience.
For more than 10 years, schools have been invited to send Form Three and Four students to the Millennium Chapel from November to May for an afternoon of discussion about issues such as bullying, social media, drug abuse, alcohol consumption, sports and the beauty of life.
Everyone gets caught. If you don't get caught today, you will get caught tomorrow
In a letter sent to State, Church and independent schools, Fr Hilary Tagliaferro noted that while the event is subsidised by the Education Ministry, children should be encouraged to bring food donations.
These are given to families in need by the Wishing Others Well centre, the social assistance arm of the Millennium chapel.
The half-day event wraps up with the experience of a former drug addict or inmate who answers personal questions from the students. Sometimes things get emotional, as students can empathise with the experience if they are related to or friends with people who have gone through the same ordeal.
Answering a question from a student from San Andrea School on whether he had ever had a brush with the police, Mr Cassar warned: “Everyone gets caught. If you don’t get caught today, you will get caught tomorrow, and if not tomorrow, next week.”
Mr Cassar later told Times of Malta that during the event he tries to debunk myths about substance abuse.
From his experience, around two-thirds of his student audience is aware of the available drugs. At 13, they already know what they believe are the ‘positive’ side effects of drug consumption.
In fact, when one student pointed out that cocaine boosted concentration, Mr Cassar was quick to ask: “Would you ride in an aeroplane if you knew that the pilot was on cocaine?” The reply was, as he had hoped, in the negative.
He recalls that at their age, he too had several questions and misconceptions about drugs.
Students who spoke to Times of Malta admitted that Mr Cassar's discussion was an eye-opener. Federico Scotto said he had provided a good idea of the consequences they would otherwise not consider at their age. Most often, teenagers hear about the supposedly positive side effects, and peer pressure is intense at their age.
But in reality, the effects of drugs were mainly negative, and they would ruin your life, the teen said.
His classmate Julianne Vella described substance abuse as “falling into a trap” while searching for happiness, and there were several other activities people could engage in, she insisted.
www.millenniumchapel.org