Eric Omondi spoke candidly about his late brother's cocaine addiction in an interview with BBC. The popular comedian revealed details of his family's struggle to rehabilitate his brother and the strain it put on their relationship before giving cautioning his audience about the ills of drug addiction.A survey conducted by NACADA in 2017 shows that heroine and cocaine addiction has been on a steady decline from 2007 to 2017, while marijuana use has spiked over the same time period with usage being higher in males (1.9%) than females (0.2%) and higher among urban dwellers (1.5%) compared to those in rural areas (0.8%). In terms of awareness of rehabilitation facilities the figure stands dismally at 13.4%. Coupled by the high rates charged at these centres and the general lack of access to mental health facilities the journey to sobriety can be long and treacherous for many addicts.Eric Omondi's candor about his brother's illness will hopefully generate a more nuanced national conversation on drug abuse, beyond the current furore where substance abuse is villified without proper understanding of drug addiction's causes and effects, or empathy towards victims clasped tightly in its hold.For a list of rehabilitation centres in Kenya and a resource on mental health facilities, click here and here. For surveys and reports on drug and substance abuse in Kenya, check out the NACADA website.