Caroline Kagia always had a reason to drink and smoke. Whether she was happy, sad, bored, anxious, lonely… all she cared for was the bottle and cigar, a substance dependency she battled for 19 years. She founded a recovery centre to help the struggling quit.

Milliam Murigi @millymur1

Had someone mentioned to Caroline Kagia that she would one day become not only an alcoholic, but that she would struggle with various kinds of addictions, she would have probably laughed it off. As a young girl, she was a church girl who valued Christian virtues. 

Unfortunately, at the age of 19, she was already addicted to cigarettes and masturbation, and later to alcohol, all of which started ‘fun times’. 

“I was introduced to masturbation by a friend at the age of 10, to cigarettes and alcohol during my late teens.

Since my relationship with my mother was not that good, she never noticed any change at the beginning, and when she did, it was too late,” she says.

What began as ‘one drink’ turned out to be drinking on an insanely outrageous level.

For her, there was always a reason to drink and smoke. Whether she was happy, sad, bored, anxious, lonely… all she cared for was the bottle and cigar. 

Being in denial for years is what worsened her case. She never thought she could sink so low into addiction to the point of being admitted into a treatment facility, but eventually, in 2017 she got to that point. 

“Being admitted into a treatment facility made me realise how bad my situation was becoming and that is when I decided to change.

I thank God I had a strong support system, including members of my nuclear family and friends, some of whom are also in recovery. This eased my recovery process.

My family was always there for me, especially my father. The love of a father was the most important part of my recovery.

He is the one who took me to rehab, while my mother was in the background praying for me,” says the firstborn in a family of five.

Caroline wan in rehab for 89 days. “Recovery is a process. It requires one to make up their mind to change.

Then walk a day at a time. You cannot fully recover in a day,” shares the single mother of two.

Thankfully, after struggling with addiction for 19 years since the first interaction with alcohol and cigarettes, she has recovered and she is now a certified addiction professional, inspirational speaker, and wellness coach.

She is the founder of Caroline Kagia Wellness Initiative, whose aim is to help those struggling with both chemical and process addictions.

Reaching out

“I was motivated to start this initiative due to my battles with addiction. This initiative aims to assist those affected by substance abuse (addicts) and their families,” she says.

To be a certified professional, she attended Support for Addiction Prevention and Treatment in Africa (SAPTA) college, Nairobi in 2018 for 16 months. 

Her initiative has so far reached many all over the world. As a certified addictions professional, she helps people understand their journey.

This means helping them deal with underlying issues. She also assists addicts to seek treatment when it deems fit.

Since families are also affected because addiction is a family disease, she walks them through understanding addiction and how to handle their loved ones who are struggling. 

As a wellness coach, she teaches people to understand and love themselves just as they are.

This is important because overcoming denial and accepting the situation in which one has found themselves into, is one of the many steps towards healing and restoration.

As a coach, she monitors her clients’ progress through phone calls, one on one sessions, and group therapy.  

“Addiction counselling is a cause close to my heart. I work with people suffering from substance addiction because I understand what it is to be an addict.

I was once an addict and that knowledge, that hands-on experience, helps me understand addiction even better,” Caroline says.

Addiction counselling is a branch of mental health that focuses on those struggling with addictions.

While this may be an overlooked or at least underreported area of mental health, some patients struggle every day with the impact their addictions have on their lives.

That is why the demand for addiction counsellors continues to rise year after year.

According to her, people don’t seek help for addiction because they don’t want to be labelled.

Also they don’t want to accept they have a problem. Apart from that, therapy is not supported or seen as normal in most communities. 

A rewarding experience

The best part of her work is seeing people recover and make good of their lives. The worst part is dealing with people in denial.

However, she says that working as a certified addiction professional is not always easy and stress-free. 

But despite the many challenges, the rewards of this profession are huge, and helping others heal is meaningful and makes her happy.

“To ensure that every wellness plan is customised to each person’s journey, I usually tailor-make plans depending on the information provided.

A wellness plan first and foremost involves knowing and understanding your client. Once you understand your client, it is easy to come up with a plan,” she explains.

She advises people taking care of addicts to know that recovery is a journey — they should always be there for their loved ones during their hardest times.