Opioid Prevention Toolkit

OPIOID & HEROIN AWARENESS TOOLKIT A Prevention Guide for Families

A Local Story M y name is Eddie and I am 27 years old. I’m currently working toward my Bachelor’s degree in Music Composition. My primary instrument is guitar, but I also play piano and give private lessons for both. Beside my academic life I have a wonderful family life. My girlfriend and I are raising our 4-year-old son who keeps us constantly on our toes. We live in a beautiful home and have much to be grateful for. A little over four years ago I was hiding out in a hotel smoking crack and shooting heroin after being awake for three days straight. I started to hallucinate and smashed the glass of the hotel window and began to run. I was arrested on charges of burglary/dwelling, theft, receiving stolen property, joyriding, and bail jumping. This sparked the beginning of my life in recovery. My name is Eddie, and I am an addict. By September 2013 I had reached the peak of my addiction to opioids and cocaine. This hell of a life was on a steady increase for a span of about 10 years. By this time, I had sold almost all my belongings including every bit of music equipment I owned. I started to steal from friends and family, and I deemed myself hopeless. In my eyes I was unlovable because I didn’t love myself and after I had taken everything from my family, I knew that I had become an empty shell. I was dope sick every day. All I could think about was the ways and means to get more of whatever drug I could get my hands on. I knew that I was a disappointment to my family, but most of all I was a disappointment to myself. A year prior to September 2013 I had it all. I was in a band that was rapidly gaining popularity. I had a good job and a great relationship with my family. I was one semester away from receiving my Associate’s degree. But everything was gone in what seemed to be in a blink of an eye. After I was arrested, I spent the next 10 days in an isolated cell detoxing. On day three I tried to hang myself with my pants. On day four I began to mutilate myself by ripping out stitches I had just received (from the hotel window) and banging my head against a sharp corner of my bed frame. A couple days later I received a visit from some of my family, and I broke down in tears. They expressed their love for me and I reciprocated. After this visit, things began to change with my behavior and on my tenth day I was bailed out. My bail was set at $1,500, which my grandpa generously posted. This was after I had already stolen $16,000 from him. The addiction made me lose sight of how much these people really cared for me and for them I am forever grateful. Once I was out of jail, I was awaiting sentencing. I began to attend local NA meetings and hated it. I thought to myself, “how can these people be smiling?” In my eyes there was nothing to be happy a bout, but I was warmly welcomed. I was now employed and attending support group meetings regularly, but things slowly started to slip.

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