This is closely followed by more and consistent physical exercise, healthy eating and better financial planning.

‘€œWhew’€! Pholo exclaims. He has been shelving his plan to stop drinking alcohol ‘€œfor the past 10 years’€, he says.

‘€œBut I think I’€™ve scaled down’€, he continues.

‘€œNow I think I’€™m at a point where I’€™ve decided I’€™m not going to do this anymore. I think I’€™m prepared mentally to do it’€, he adds resolutely.    

The main reason Pholo now wants to follow through on his long-standing attempt to stop using alcohol is primarily inspired by his now troublesome health.        

‘€œOne of the worst things that have happened recently is that I get herpes. I get it very, very often these days. And I think I might have developed shingles. I still have the marks on my thigh, which, for me suggested that something is wrong – something is becoming different in my body. The other thing that I now realise is that in summer I get too tired. For example, yesterday I didn’€™t go to work because my feet were very, very sore. I can feel that there are changes in my body, so I need to start looking at ‘€˜what do I need to change’€™? Alcohol is one of them’€, he explains.

He has been living with HIV for slightly over 10 years now and there hasn’€™t been a need for him to take antiretrovirals in all of this period. But Pholo says the recent opportunistic infections have given him a frightening awakening.      

‘€œThe reality of the HIV progression in my body kind of knocks on my door to say’€: ‘€˜Actually, I’€™m here and if you don’€™t improve on your health awareness or your health, I might just come in earlier than planned and develop into AIDS’€™. ‘€œSo, I’€™ve decided that I need to add extra things to delay the progression from HIV to AIDS’€.

Pholokgolo Ramothwala took us into his life with HIV late last year when he marked 10 years of being diagnosed with the virus that causes AIDS by starting a public journal detailing his daily struggles and triumphs. Read this month’€™s diary on www.pholocom.co.za