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Mon, Jan 19, 2026 | Rajab 30, 1447 | Fajr 05:45 | DXB 
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Dubai father hopes to save ‘someone else’s son’ after losing own to drug abuse
A doctor told him that his son, who aspired to join the police force, may not live past the age of 20 — he died at 19
A grieving father has made a public plea to parents in the UAE after losing his 19-year-old son to drug addiction, urging families not to delay seeking help and to treat addiction as a medical issue, not a source of shame.
Abu Omar, who appears in the first episode of Dubai Police’s new awareness podcast 'Recovered' (Mut‘aafi), spoke candidly about the painful journey that began with subtle behavioural changes and ended in tragedy.
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His son, who had once aspired to join the police force, died before turning 20, after struggling with substance abuse. “I couldn’t save my son,” he said, “but maybe I can save someone else’s.”
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A slow shift and missed signs
The father said the signs of addiction were not immediately obvious. His son had always been close to him. “I was the one who dropped him at school and picked him up. I was involved in his life,” he said. But as he grew older, his behaviour started to change.
“He stayed in his room all day, never wanted to go out, always on the PlayStation. It felt like teenage moodiness. Even the school didn’t inform us that anything was wrong.”
Then came the accident. His son had skipped school, was in a burning car for four hours, and the family still didn’t know he was using drugs.
A red flag in Germany
After the accident, the family took him to Germany for surgery. It was there that a critical moment unfolded. The anesthesiologist informed Abu Omar that his son wasn’t responding normally to the anesthesia.
"She said, ‘This dose should have affected him, but it didn’t.’ Then she told me something I’ll never forget: 'If a young man has this level of resistance at 18, he might not make it past 20'."
That moment forced Abu Omar to confront what they had been trying to ignore. “I asked him directly: Do you smoke? Do you take anything?” It was the beginning of a truth they had long been missing.
Attempted recovery and a system too late
After returning from Germany, the signs became clearer. They found pills and syringes hidden in his room. “We confronted him. He cried. He kissed my forehead and said he was sorry. But we still didn’t report it. We thought we could handle it quietly, without involving anyone else. That was our mistake.”
The family tried everything: removing access to money, cutting off communication with certain friends, and even sending him to rehab. He ran away. “I had to call Dubai Police’s anti-narcotics team myself. He had already been arrested once and we didn’t even know.”
He later spent five months in prison but still wasn’t convinced he needed treatment. “He always promised to quit but returned to the same crowd,” the father said. “The third chance never came. He passed away.”
A message for other parents
“This isn’t a scandal,” Abu Omar said in the podcast. “This is a disease. Don’t worry about shame. Worry about your child. If I could go back, I would take him to the police, to specialists, the first time I noticed something. I wouldn’t wait.”
Presented by Mahra Al Marzouqi, 'Recovered' is part of a new digital initiative by Dubai Police’s Security Awareness Department and the General Department of Anti-Narcotics. It aims to use real testimonies to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and encourage early intervention.
Under Article 89 of the Federal Decree Law on Combating Narcotic Drugs, individuals struggling with addiction can seek treatment without facing criminal prosecution.
The first episode is available now on Dubai Police’s official YouTube channel and social media platforms using the hashtags and #RecoveredPodcast.
Waad Barakat
Waad Barakat is a Special Correspondent covering security topics, from law enforcement to local courts. With a keen eye for human interest stories, she hopes to blend it all with unique Gen Z-inspired content.
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