Words From A Drug Addict.

It all started after the time of graduation. I used to ooze belligerence as I was getting whistled at, cheated on, ditched by my friends, laughed at, fell out of love, played by close ones, yelled at and brought into the world of darkness and misery. I thought the only choice left is drugs. I thought it was the only escape for me, my comforting zone.

I want to highlight the fact that this time of year in 2011, I was just getting out of the jail and heading to rehab for the hardest battle of my life. I was a slave to heroin and cocaine. I was wasting away, my hair was falling out, my skin was a mess, my nose was swollen and damn near felt like it might fall off, even lost a few teeth. I did not think I was going to make it out alive and thought I was doomed to die a junkie living in filth.

After getting clean and sober, I had a few slips here and there, but I always fought to stay the course. I now have more than 3 and a half solid years.

My life is unrecognizable, as am I.
I am not ashamed of my past or how I used to live. I’m just proud and grateful of how far I’ve come. I’m still a dirt bag, just a clean one now. I own a recovery home and stay of service to others. I trust God and live life on life’s terms. I know he has a plan, for me, for you, for everyone. Now my life is beyond my wildest dreams. So grateful and blessed to have had the opportunity to change my life. I’m proud and humble to achieve this as I thought I would never be this incredible version of myself. I too acknowledge my past and the experiences and all the mistakes I made but I learnt from them, not going to bring the same terrible phase again.

Grateful to be alive. I guess I have the strength it takes to own a past like this and share it with others is astronomical. A good reminder to those with envy in their eyes that some people weren’t always pretty, successful, or have everything handed to them.

Now I walk with my head high. Take a walk outside. And smile at people.
If you’re struggling, don’t give up. I promise the reward is worth the pain.