Methamphetamine addiction : towards a prevention strategy in a ministerial approach to substance abuse during mid-adolescence within the Lavender Hill setting

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Motivated by the observation that children living in the Western Cape face challenges relating to methamphetamine (tik) abuse, this research attempts to develop and propose a strategy that can be used in preventing mid-adolescents from engaging in tik use. To develop this strategy, a contextual analysis and hermeneutical process of the life of mid- adolescents and the environment in which tik abuse is occurring was initially undertaken. Through a contextual analysis of children living in Lavender Hill and surrounding areas, it was discovered that most children were attracted to tik due to the influence of modern technology, rampant poverty, the cheap cost of the drug, dysfunctionality of families, influence of gangs and lack of recreation facilities.Acknowledging that adolescence is an important stage in the formation of the character of any individual, this research attests that adolescents who use and abuse tik are those who do not have an enabling family and societal environment. It is suggested in this research that the Church can play a pivotal role in creating a socio-spiritual environment that would enable adolescents to develop themselves in such a manner that they do not need to use tik, or any other drug for that matter.This research thus develops a prevention strategy for dealing with tik abuse during mid- adolescence. This preventive strategy centres on the Church being of service to others. Based on a literature research conducted on the Lavender Hill community of the Cape Flats, this research proposes practical recommendations that could help different Christianchurchesinthefightagainstmethamphetamineusebymid-adolescents. These recommendations attempt to involve different members of the community in the spirit that John Mbiti encapsulates in the proverb ―We are therefore I am‖.In this all- inclusive endeavour, this research supposes that if a community is properly functioning, it is possible for it to weed out unwanted elements in a manner that protects all its members, particularly the young.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University