Drug Addiction Stories & Info

As much information is available about drugs and drug addictions, there are still a lot of myths concerning drug addictions.  Separating fact from fiction can go a long way when trying to decide how to help a loved one with a drug addiction.  Learning the facts empower you to do more to help those that you love who happen to have drug addictions.

Top Ten Drug Addiction Myths:

• The drug addict must seek help on their own.

  This is false. Loved ones and/or the law can force or coerce the drug addict into getting help and it is just as effective as if the addict had chosen to get help on their own.  Intervention is very common now and thinking that the addict must reach out for help first is an outdated idea at best.

• Drug addiction is a voluntary choice:

  It’s true that taking that first drink or the first experimentation with a drug is voluntary; addiction is not voluntary. Drugs alter the mind, which set in motion a series of reactions that make the person become addicted to the drug.  No one starts out with the plan of becoming an addict.  Trying a drug is voluntary.  Drug addiction is not voluntary.

• Drug addictions occur in people who are weak.

  The fact is, there are doctors, lawyers, teachers, professors, police officers and clergy who have drug addictions.

• People can beat drug addictions without help.

  If that were true, there would not be the drug epidemic present today that continues to increase in number.  Treatment is necessary.  The only way to overcome it is to receive help for it.  The thought that people can beat drug addiction stems back from the old “Snap out of it “ school from decades ago.

• There should be one magic remedy for drug addiction.

  Since there are so many different drugs available and there are so many different types of people, finding one solution to fit everyone is chasing the impossible dream.

• Treatment doesn’t work.

  Of course it works.  It works in the majority of cases.  It is true that some may need to go back to rehab because of relapse but treatment does indeed work, and for many people.  There are too many success stories to say that treatment doesn’t work.

• No one seeks treatment until they’ve reached the end of the road.

  Most people have to sink pretty low, but not everyone has to hit rock bottom before they get help for their addiction.

• Rehab can be completed in a week or two if the addict is determined.

  Drug addiction rehab times vary from situation to situation but saying someone can be rehabilitated in a week or two is probably stretching the truth a bit too far.  In some cases, it can be many months.

• Addicts who relapse are beyond hope.

  Not true at all.  Many people stumble and get help again. Whether it takes 2, 3 or even 4 times, as long as the addict continues to seek help, there is hope.

Living in railroad cars wasn’t my idea of staying at the Ritz, but it was better than taking my chances at the parks or in downtown doorways.  Missions weren’t an option; they forced God on you and as far as I can tell turned more people away from him than towards him.  Anyway, I did okay with the railway cars. I even had a friend with me.  We sort of used the buddy system. Somehow it felt safer having someone along. Every morning we’d use the river water we had in a bucket inside the railroad car to splash our faces and rinse our mouths out.  There wasn’t money for toothpaste and no one we dealt with ever seemed to care anyway.  We’d make our way toward downtown to start hustling up some money.  Usually that meant picking out a half way decent looking guy who propositioned me.

I’d usually get my first John early, but as the day wore on, sometimes it got tougher.  Kelly, my friend, did what she had to do.  We rarely saw each other during the day until around 6 when we’d meet up in front of the bank downtown.  From there we’d start looking to score.  Kelly was into needles but I liked to smoke crack.  We usually knew where we could find some.  If we couldn’t, we’d keep on looking until we did.  If we found some early enough, we’d hit the mission just for dinner.  Usually that was the only time we ate.

Some days were better than others.  When we were really lucky we’d get enough money for a hit that night and one first thing in the morning, which was heaven.  On very rare occasions, we even got enough money to buy something to eat.  In the end, though, we’d go back to our railroad car and enjoy that day’s score.  After that, we’d either go back out into the night looking for more money or we’d just laugh and talk the night away.

We didn’t like for people to know about our sleeping spot, but once in a while we’d meet up with someone we knew and invite them back to our place.  One night in particular, we scored big time and happened to have run into a friend, Diane.  All three of us walked back to our place and enjoyed our daily “take”.

I was always a rebel child ever since I could remember, I think being rebellious came naturally to me. Defying my parents and going against what they wanted me to do seemed to be my sole mission. I always thought the generation gap was much wider, and with every passing phase it only got worse.

As I turned 16 my life turned a new leaf, I started skipping school. I’d even sneak out the of house in the dead of night and sleep among the homeless. I nurtured this deep feeling that no one ever understood or loved me. Skipping school and leaving home, gave me a complete sense of freedom.

The look I sported was trashy, unkempt hair, ill fitting and dirty clothes, the punk style with the ‘I don’t care attitude’ was my favorite. With loud colors that scream ‘look at me’ and garish makeup I felt really safe hiding beneath all of it.

Since I would hang around the streets at odd hours, it really wasn’t difficult for me to get drugs; I would often be asked by small time peddlers if I needed any. I used to refuse, but ended up buying some with my pocket money and the money I had gathered from working at the deli. One possible reason could be that because of my angst, I had no friends and was looking for some.  There were some I knew from school who were already into it, and bought from the same peddlers.

I was doing chemicals like LSD, and I quite liked it, it took me to another world that I could associate with easily. I slowly became more adventurous and hooked on to anything I could afford and lay my hands on. I wanted to graduate even further, and was looking for something that would satisfy me, that’s when I noticed heroine. In the mean time, I was kicked out of my home, since I stole some money from my parents, used their credit cards to take care of my needs. Lost about 10 pounds, and was doing the rounds of shelters where I could spend my nights in. I soon discovered heroine and the feeling was indescribable. I now needed to shoot drugs into my blood stream, and was totally hooked on heroine for a year.

My parents had to look for me, and found me out on the streets one day; I think what they seen came to them as a shock. I was taken home and cleaned up, the confrontation was long. I didn’t agree instantly. It took me several months to pick up the phone and call the drug addiction rehab. Since then I have been clean.