When I was little I would sit in my room and wonder why my life was not like other children’s. I would see kids with their parents, doing things that my mother would not do with me, like going to the park and shop- ping, and I would feel sad.
My mother and I did those things together when I was very young. But once I got a little older she would just come and go.
My … Read More
I tried many times to remove crack from my life. It was hard, very hard, because it was all around. My sister got high. My neighbors got high. Yes, I lived in the projects. With all 21 floors, I could get high in at least 15 different apartments.
People would come to my house asking me to get high with them, or yell from the window, “Robin, come upstairs for a minute.” Temptation would lead me … Read More
Crack was a mind shattering experience. All my problems went away. It was like a jolt, a sensation that was unbelievable. It took me on a cloud and made real life disappear. It only lasted for about five minutes, but then I wanted to go again and again.
Soon I realized I couldn’t stop when I wanted to. I was afraid of who I was becoming. I started running out of money and couldn’t always get … Read More
Jessica Marcus, a staff attorney in the Family Law Unit at South Brooklyn Legal Services, explains the rights and responsibilities of parents seeking drug treatment.
Q: Will my kids be put in foster care if I tell someone I need treatment for a problem with drugs or alcohol?
A: If you go to a treatment program, they shouldn’t open a case. If you go to a preventive services program for help with a drug addiction (or any … Read More
One morning I woke up dope sick. I needed a bag of heroin. I said to myself, “I’m not just going to lie here sick.” So I got up and went to a dope dealer I knew and told him to help me out with a bag. He said to me, “Here, do this bag and sell these.”
I went in the bathroom and got my fix. That day the dope was very strong so I … Read More
