Drug addict turns counsellor
She was a drug addict and a prostitute, mentally weak, she gave in to the rigours of the streets and was a disgrace to her family and community. Destined for death, her condition worsened as time passed and with death’s door opened, she almost entered.
It may sound to you like a plot from a movie or maybe a novel, but it is not. This is the real-life epic of substance-abuse consultant, Ionie Whorms, an accomplished lecturer, entertainment co-ordinator and former model.
A woman of true mettle, Whorms, recovered miraculously from the evils of substance abuse eight years ago, made headlines nationwide as, she moved from outcast to a revered counsellor and community icon. After a hard-fought battle with crack/cocaine for two and a half years, Whorms is today — eight years later — the proud owner and operator of a substance abuse/HIV centre in Fletchers Land, Kingston. Recently renovated by Kingston Restoration Company, the centre commonly known as the Ionie Whorms Inner City Counselling Centre (IWICC), in addition to its consulting services is a cushion for the homeless and the underprivileged within the inner cities of Kingston.
A proud mother of four, Whorms’ horrendous past has paved the way for her present-day successes. With an aim to prevent persons from falling into the “trap” she found herself in, and to care for those who are victims of the evil, Whorms uses her strongest tool experience to good effect.
A charismatic individual with an excellent work ethic, Whorms is shameless when it comes to her past. Instead, she uses it to inform and educate students about the dangers of substance abuse and unprotected sex through islandwide lectures. “It’s the least I can do. Whatever I can do to protect young lives, I will. I would not want anybody to take the path I did, and as a result one of my major aims is to wise-up society,” Whorms told All Woman.
Whorms was forced to leave school prematurely at the very tender age of 14, so her lofty ambition to become a lawyer was dashed when she enrolled at what she called “Street Corner University”.
She continued: “It was rough, I was going on the slippery path to hell, it was impossible to imagine then that I would be alive today. Back then I would do anything to get a fix (to buy drugs), and anything meant anything,” she related, staring into space. “I was so desperate I would rob my parents regularly of cash and kind to get that high.”
Her parents, she said, were sympathetic and understanding in the beginning, but literally threw in the towel after things really got bad. The thought of killing herself surfaced at regular intervals and although not a slave to the sex trade, she at times exchanged her body for money.
When complete strangers began to offer her a ball of crack or $20 for her sexual pleasures, and realizing that her two children were suffering from neglect, Whorms drew the line. She sought help, and was admitted to a rehabilitation facility where she spent several months in intensive therapy. And for that she is grateful. “God is really a powerful man. I don’t know why, maybe my life was destined to be this way … for me to help others, but he is mighty powerful,” she said with a smile.
Ably assisted by Tennyson Johnson, her office at 155 Church Street is open seven days a week. She says despite the centre’s acheivements, it is short of many necessities and any type of help whether cash or kind is always welcomed.
She dreams to one day own and operate a rehabilitation centre, educating the nation about the dangers of substance abuse and illicit sex. “It’s unbelievable, truly unbelievable. I have done what many have failed to do, come back into society… a bit bruised but thankfully alive. I want to help others,” she said.
