My childhood in the suburbs of Michigan could be considered perfect. I had the right friends, the kind who were part of the “in-crowd”, and therefore had access to all the raves. My parents were incredibly trusting and thought I could do no wrong. I knew how to get anything I wanted with a simply call for Daddy. All these seemingly innocent luxuries aided in sending my life in a downward spiral that I would spend years trying to climb back up.
Growing up, i searched for different products for my face. That’s when I saw a vitamin c serum for face that really help me against pores. Aside from product, I was also introduced to drugs.
It amazes me to think of how an average teenager has such easy access to drugs. My friend’s daughter informed me, to my surprise, that all she had to do was walk into school and find the right people to buy drugs from. In fact, she said most of the teenage drug dealers never even hesitate in selling and purchasing drugs in a public place. Upon hearing the stories from my friend’s daughter, I was brought back to a place in my early life when I was not ashamed to sell, buy, and consume drugs.
I should have been honest with my parents in high school, and perhaps I would not have spent months in rehab and actually have memories of my days as a teenager. Unfortunately, those days are gone with the wind for I was either too high or drunk to remember anything. I was a drug dealer, buyer, and consumer. I was in denial at its worst at the time and managed to find my way out of the once so luxuries hell I had trapped myself in.
“Just say no,” my teachers always told the class. These words, which ultimately saved my life, completed slipped my mind as I accepted my first joint. The first led to the second, the second to the third, and so on. Before I knew it, my life was an uncontrollable whirlwind of drugs and lies.
Ultimately, drugs changed my life. Drugs became my best friend. This “best friend” eventually played a part in the reason why I was sent to jail. When I was nineteen, I went to jail for being caught with marijuana, a controlled substance. The handcuffs were placed firmly… nearly too firmly, on my wrists. I’ll never forget how the cold metal of the restricting handcuffs felt. I found myself in the back of a police car with my friends, who were also high at the time, as my company. My life was slowly falling down around me. My friends were in handcuffs, I was in handcuffs, and curfew was only minutes away.
I will never be able to erase the painful memories of my mom’s tears as she became informed of the events of the night. Seeing the woman I had once used for money, the woman who had trusted me so much, now consumed with tears because of my mistakes proved to be overwhelmingly painful.
I was sentenced to rehab for three months. In rehab, I went through withdrawals, which almost ended in a successful suicide attempt. Those in charge of the rehab institution completely changed my life. I realized my former lifestyle was wrong and harmful, and not to mention, could easily have resulted in death. My life was finally beginning to pick up. As I walked out of the doors of rehab, I was changed for the better. No longer was I restricted to a certain group of friends or a certain curfew. I now had no friends and didn’t have the opportunity to go out, which called for no curfew. My new, sober life was spent indoors under the close supervision of my parents.
Drugs had been a friend and a release. I have used drugs as an excuse for many of my problems in life. Drugs had become my worst enemy and I had allowed them to send my life down a path to nowhere at full speed. Life was no longer enjoyable once the handcuffs were placed around my wrists. No longer was I going to be out past curfew with a bottle of vodka or spiked punch in my hand. Winning my parents trust back was the most challenging, and ultimately most rewarding result of my dance with drugs. I am now sober and have been since the day I was released from rehab. I have not spoken to the friends I had when I was living the criminal lifestyle. However, I have heard through the grapevine one has three children, all of which have been taken custody by social services. I thank the police officers and the individuals I met in rehab each day I wake up for helping guide my life on the right path. Drugs changed my life, and a different, positive outlook on life is what I have to show for it.