"I want to be free from this"

"I want to be free from this" 

Young people speak out about alcohol harm

Every weekend, communities across South Africa fill with the noise of parties, friends meeting, and the clinking of bottles. But behind the buzz, there's another reality -one where alcohol leaves scars that don’t always heal, especially for young people.

For Zama, alcohol has been a part of life for as long as she can remember.

“I was nine when I started to understand that what was happening at home wasn’t normal. I used to dread weekends,” she says. “That’s when the shouting and fighting got worse. My father was an alcoholic.I told myself I’d never become like him. But by 16, I was drinking too.”

Zama is now 21 and lives in Woodlands Happy Valley informal settlement in KwaZulu-Natal. She’s one of the many young people trying to break a cycle that’s gripped their families and communities for generations.

Her story isn’t unique.

In Mamelodi, 26-year-old Reabetsoe remembers a similar path. “I started drinking at a young age, because I struggled to deal with life’s challenges. At 21, I realised how badly alcohol was affecting me – I lost friendships, family, it made it hard for me to find a sense of purpose.”

Alcohol abuse in South Africa is more than just a personal issue, it’s a national one. And young people are bearing the brunt. Data shows that alcohol is linked to violence, school dropout, unplanned pregnancies, and poor mental health. It’s also a big contributor to intergenerational trauma, as children grow up in households where drinking feels like the only coping mechanism.

But while alcohol causes harm, these young people are choosing to rewrite their stories.

Zama’s knew she had to get help after a night she can’t remember. “I blacked out and woke up outside on the street. No phone, no money, no memory. I felt completely empty. That was my wake up call.”

Reabetsoe says her turning point came when she found herself lost and without a place to stay. “I felt isolated and alone. But then I joined the Young Women for Life Movement, supported by the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC). They encouraged me to live a better life and gave me the strength to keep going.”

Both young women say SACBC’s Justice and Peace Commission played a huge role in their recovery. Through community programmes, dialogues, and referrals to rehab and counselling services, they were able to start healing.

“I was referred to a rehabilitation centre for treatment, and even after I left, they kept checking on me,” says Zama. “That support gave me a second chance.”

Reabetsoe echoes that. “They gave me opportunities to contribute, helped me realise that life can start afresh and taught me there is always hope. Today,I encourage young people who are facing similar struggles to know that their lives matter.”

Their stories show that change is possible, but they’re also a reminder that young people can’t do it alone.

That’s why the Hold My Hand campaign and programme of action, supporting the National Strategy to Accelerate and Action for Children (NSAAC), is backing initiatives that protect young people from alcohol harm. One of the campaign’s biggest partners is the DGMT’s Rethink Your Drink initiative (formerly Alcohol Harms Reduction), which works to shift the culture of drinking in South Africa by reducing access, limiting advertising, and raising awareness.

The aim? To move from talking about problems to creating real, sustainable solutions – fast.

And for young people like Zama and Reabetsoe, the changes can’t come soon enough.

“If I could change one thing,” says Zama, “I’d close the illegal taverns and give young people something better to do, like sports, skills training, creative spaces.”

Reabetsoe agrees. “I’d start a group to teach young people about the dangers of alcohol and how to care for themselves.”

When asked what hope looks like, both young women talk about freedom.

“Hope is waking up sober,” says Zama. “It’s helping another young person avoid the path I went down.”

For Reabetsoe, hope is to live a healthy and purposeful life, and continue helping others to do the same.

As a country, we’re at a crossroads. We can either keep losing our children to a culture of heavy drinking or we can hold their hands, walk with them, and help them choose a different path.

The stories are real. The pain is real. But so is the hope.

And it starts with listening.

Organisations making a difference:

·       Young Women for Life Movement – Supporting young women to overcome addiction and live with purpose.

·       Southern African Policy Alliance (SAAPA) – Challenging the status quo around industry tactics, promoting health through partnerships and providing information

·       Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference(SACBC) Justice and Peace Commission – Offering mentorship, counselling, and referrals to rehab.

·       South African National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (SANCA)– Focusing on preventing and treating alcohol and drug dependence in South Africa.

·       DGMT’s Rethink Your Drink – Tackling harmful drinking through national campaigns and community-level change.

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