Nollywood actress Tonto Dikeh has revealed that she once battled an addiction, using her personal experience to urge Nigerians to reject drug abuse and show compassion towards people struggling with substance dependence.
In a lengthy message shared on social media, the actress described the addiction as a painful period in her life and said substances did not eliminate the emotional pain she was experiencing.
Dikeh said her experience taught her that drug abuse often masks deeper emotional struggles rather than resolving them. She urged people battling addiction to seek help and encouraged members of the public not to define such individuals solely by their actions or the chaos associated with substance abuse.
“I’ve been down this dark road, and I can tell you firsthand: substances don’t make the pain go away. The hurt stays, and addiction slowly steals your life, one day at a time,” she wrote.
The actress reflected on how her behaviour during the period was perceived by others, saying people saw “the chaos,” “the noise,” and “the mess” without understanding the pain behind them.
According to her, her anger, addiction and self-destructive decisions were expressions of a deeper struggle and a desperate need for help rather than an attempt to attract attention.
“I wasn’t lost because I loved the darkness. I was lost because I was hurting. I was desperate for relief, for peace, for someone to see past my actions and hear my cry,” Dikeh said.
She further described addiction as an escape from emotional pain that she could not explain at the time, stressing that substance abuse should not become a person’s identity.
Dikeh said her recovery reinforced her belief that people trapped in addiction can overcome their struggles when they receive the necessary help and support.
“Drugs weren’t the problem, they were the symptom. Addiction wasn’t my identity, it was my escape from pain I didn’t know how to name,” she wrote.
Dikeh also appealed to Nigerians to avoid stigmatizing people dealing with addiction. She acknowledged the need to condemn drug abuse and addiction while maintaining that the individual struggling with the problem should not be abandoned or considered beyond redemption.
“So, hate the drugs. Hate the addiction. But never stop praying for the person trapped inside it because that person is not weak, not worthless, not beyond redemption,” she wrote.
The actress described herself as living proof that someone who has experienced addiction and destructive behaviour can recover and find a renewed sense of purpose.
She said her experience had strengthened her conviction that no person struggling with addiction should be regarded as permanently lost.
Dikeh ended her message with an appeal for continued prayers and support for people battling substance abuse, stressing that intervention and compassion could make a difference in the life of someone struggling behind the scenes.
