IT IS not often that people can loudly admit to having a substance or alcohol abuse problem. More often than not, they fear being shamed and stigmatised for their addiction.
However, some are bold enough to admit it and find ways to fight their addiction. Tsepiso Nzayo is one of the many people who have openly faced the demons that came with their alcohol addiction and fought them head-on without giving up.
The language practitioner and marathon runner from Cape Town in the Western Cape said he found himself drowning in alcohol in 2018 after resigning to further his studies. Nzayo said it was easy for him to hit the bottle because alcohol was easily available and did not anticipate the stress of being unemployed.
“I drank to escape reality and the many issues I was dealing with, including unemployment. Most of us do not seek help in therapy because things such as alcohol are easily available. Another thing I have also realised is that people would willingly buy you alcohol, but not use the same money to assist you in bettering your life. I was unemployed, but I had access to alcohol 24/7,” he said.
Nzayo realised that his drinking was a problem when he seldom had a sober day, even during the week, and when his relationship with his then-partner came crumbling down.
“The addiction affected my relationship with my partner negatively. She always voiced her dissatisfaction with my drinking. I came up with excuses for my alcoholism because I would rather lose someone I’m with than quit alcohol. I was still in denial that I had a problem at the time. It seemed like it was recreational drinking, and I did not realise I had a drinking problem,” Nzayo said.
His drinking worsened when he moved from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town in 2021 until last year in April, then decided it was time for a positive change. There were attempts to quit before then, which were unsuccessful because he lacked the motivation to stop drinking, nor was he ready.
Although Nzayo started running marathons in 2017, it was in 2022 that running saved him from the bottle.
“It all began as a way to prepare myself for the 2022 Comrades Marathon. On April 31, 2022, I consciously abstained from drinking for 90 days. I put all my time and effort into achieving this goal. It allowed me to have training sessions easily because I was not always hung over, and I looked forward to the Cape Town running community's morning runs and weekend marathons.
“While running, I had time to have conversations with myself to introspect and reflect on my bad decisions and what I could do to rectify them. I found these sessions to be more therapeutic and life-changing. After Comrades Marathon in August, I wondered why I should not continue with my sobriety. I realised that the more I ran, the clearer things became. My perspective changed,” he said.
Nzayo has been sober for more than 400 days today. He ran Comrades Marathon sober for the second time this past Sunday. On the day of the ultra-marathon, Nzayo had a white banner with black writing saying: “426 days sober. I did it!!”
He completed the 90km race in 8:27:40 at a 05:48 min/km pace, 20 minutes faster than he did last year. Nzayo has completed four Comrades Marathons, but the last two were the most memorable due to his sobriety.
“Running comrades sober for the first time was a huge milestone. Doing it again for the second time made me even more proud of myself and my strides. It was not an easy journey, but I did it. I even ran faster than I did at the last marathon,” he said.
In continuing his alcohol abstinence and making a difference in his community, Nzayo hopes to partner with the Western Cape Department of Education, the Liquor Board and other stakeholders in the beverage industry to raise awareness of alcohol abuse and its impact.
He said he wanted to visit local schools and institutions of higher learning to educate learners and students on alcohol abuse and hopefully spare them from falling into the trap.
In the interim, Nzayo uses his comic and poetry talents to spread awareness. He will host a one-man comedy show titled “Single and Sober” in partnership with the National Arts Festival. The event will take place at Graham Hotel in Makhanda (Grahamstown) in PE from June 22 to June 28. Tickets to the event are R100.