At times when I’m having difficulty expressing remembrance, I start:
One by one, our guests entered the dining area, to record a segment for the show. We were at a shelter interviewing several occupants, during the process of their intervention. Per our request, they stated their name, age, ethnicity & drug of choice.
As they spoke, the answers we received varied. Some used a particular drug, while other’s graduated from one substance to something stronger.
The commonalities the responses shared, was trying to obtain the orgasmic euphoria of their 1st high; which always seemed to elude them. Or momentarily numbing oneself to reality; leading to higher dosages.
From that day, a specific story touched me deeply. It was the story of a woman, who got strung out on crack cocaine at the age of 45. I remember thinking; she’s a little long in the tooth to be peer pressured. Who in their right mind tries crack of all drugs so late in life?
As her story progressed she told us she was a former Nurse. I automatically turned my nose up saying to myself, if anyone knows the detrimental side effects of drugs, is a healthcare professional. Now look at her: throwing a woe is me pity party, she should have known better! Two minutes into her story, I deemed her all types of stupid & the dumbest Nurse I’ve had the displeasure of meeting.
When she finally explained the 1st time she got high & why….. was breathtaking.
She rehashed the stress of her job & life: double shifts at the hospital, a mother to 3 boys, catering to a husband, and insufficient rest. The haunting way she described her fatigue captivated everyone’s attention. She told us, one night during overtime, she went into a hall closet in hopes to take a much needed nap. Inside the closet she found a fellow co-worker smoking crack.
She described her initial shock and attempt to flee. She said her co-worker pulled her by the arm and said try some, I do it all the time. She stated what she remembers most about that night was her co-worker holding up a crack pipe telling her, “This right here, is what gets me through all these hours.”
Those words intrigued her tiredness, urging her to try. She said before inhaling she rationalized if her co-worker did it, it couldn’t be that bad. She said her co-worker was always energized & carried out their duties without difficulty.To this 45 year old woman, the offering of crack was viewed as a solution. So she breathe it in…..
She went on to describe her first high to us. Instead of energy she obtained a sense of calm that evaporated her many stresses. That calm got her through the night and home to her children & spouse. At home in bed with her husband, she explained her craving and a strong desire to smoke again.
Unlike her co-worker, she was strung out in a matter of months.
Getting high started to affect her performance at work & her hours were reduced. Due to her pay cut she started stealing hospital supplies to purchase crack. Eventually she was caught and terminated. With no income of her own, she started selling items from her house & stealing from family members.
The more detailed her story became; she started rocking back & forth as if in a trance. Telling us:
I lost my job. My husband divorced me & got sole custody of our children. Do you know they won’t allow me to see my boys? My own children. My babies …
In the middle……
One by one, our guests entered the dining area, to record a segment for the show. We were at a shelter interviewing several occupants, during the process of their intervention. Per our request, they stated their name, age, ethnicity & drug of choice.
The commonalities the responses shared, was trying to obtain the orgasmic euphoria of their 1st high; which always seemed to elude them. Or momentarily numbing oneself to reality; leading to higher dosages.
From that day, a specific story touched me deeply. It was the story of a woman, who got strung out on crack cocaine at the age of 45. I remember thinking; she’s a little long in the tooth to be peer pressured. Who in their right mind tries crack of all drugs so late in life?
As her story progressed she told us she was a former Nurse. I automatically turned my nose up saying to myself, if anyone knows the detrimental side effects of drugs, is a healthcare professional. Now look at her: throwing a woe is me pity party, she should have known better! Two minutes into her story, I deemed her all types of stupid & the dumbest Nurse I’ve had the displeasure of meeting.
When she finally explained the 1st time she got high & why….. was breathtaking.
She rehashed the stress of her job & life: double shifts at the hospital, a mother to 3 boys, catering to a husband, and insufficient rest. The haunting way she described her fatigue captivated everyone’s attention. She told us, one night during overtime, she went into a hall closet in hopes to take a much needed nap. Inside the closet she found a fellow co-worker smoking crack.
She described her initial shock and attempt to flee. She said her co-worker pulled her by the arm and said try some, I do it all the time. She stated what she remembers most about that night was her co-worker holding up a crack pipe telling her, “This right here, is what gets me through all these hours.”
Those words intrigued her tiredness, urging her to try. She said before inhaling she rationalized if her co-worker did it, it couldn’t be that bad. She said her co-worker was always energized & carried out their duties without difficulty.To this 45 year old woman, the offering of crack was viewed as a solution. So she breathe it in…..
She went on to describe her first high to us. Instead of energy she obtained a sense of calm that evaporated her many stresses. That calm got her through the night and home to her children & spouse. At home in bed with her husband, she explained her craving and a strong desire to smoke again.
Unlike her co-worker, she was strung out in a matter of months.
Getting high started to affect her performance at work & her hours were reduced. Due to her pay cut she started stealing hospital supplies to purchase crack. Eventually she was caught and terminated. With no income of her own, she started selling items from her house & stealing from family members.
I lost my job. My husband divorced me & got sole custody of our children. Do you know they won’t allow me to see my boys? My own children. My babies …
