I have never used cocaine or marijuana- Jackie Chandiru

Jackie Chandiru inside KFM studio this morning

Former Blu*3 singer Jackie Chandiru has denied reports that drugs like heroin and cocaine are what led her to rehab.

Known for songs like Agasi, Overdose, Gold digger and Shamim, Chandiru went off the music scene following a breakdown due to alleged drug abuse.

Chandiru who was on three occasions in and out of rehab, shocked the public on December 1 when she stepped to the pulpit at Pastor Kayanja’s 77 days of glory fellowship at Miracle Center Cathedral Kampala.

In an interview on KFM this morning, Chandiru told the public that her troubles stemmed from the abuse of a prescription painkiller Pethidine, which was used to treat a back problem.

“My disorder started about five years ago. At that time, I had a back pain. The doctor noticed how much pain I was in and prescribed Pethidine. Pain goes away in about 30 second. I got addicted to it and started getting it without prescription,” she said.

“At first it wasn’t so bad, but it then got to a point where I moved from one or two shots to ten. It started affecting my brains. I would have convulsions, and black out for a minute or so.”

She however said that she did not have any medical expertise to inject herself with the drug, therefore did not whichever way.

“I injected myself anyhow, as long as the drug got into my body,” she said.

Apart from the pain killing, Chandiru said the drug gave her a high feeling, which caused her to bottle up all her troubles.

“Anyone who tried to tell me that what I was doing was wrong, I would cut him or her off. I became so defensive and the drug gave me the comfort.”

But to get back on her feet, Chandiru says it is the realization that she had lost most of the people in her life, which pushed her to recovery.

She adds that she had cut ties with her family and her husband was also getting irritated with her addiction.

“It is then that I began to realize that I needed to stop.”

Recovery after rehab

Although she recovered while in rehab, the 34-year-old notes that the real battle starts after rehab, because there are so many triggers.

“Sometimes it happens like two or three in the morning and I can’t settle, I feel like I need a needle,” she said adding that she cut all contact with the people that used to sell the drugs to her.