I stopped using on 9/11

[tranniegurl]

Drugs well I can certainly identify with that life. I started using at the age of 10. I smoked pot in a house party while the Isley Brothers sang "Take me to the next phase". Well little did I know then but I was certainly headed for the next phase. Cause I went from smoking trees (formly known as pot) to drinking, from drinking to pills, from pills to acid, from acid I started injecting, I also smoked Sherm (PCP) (Imbalming fluid and elephant tranqulizer), Jet fuel (actual fuel for the jets) and Dust. Then came the mother of all drugs CRACK WOW did that take me to the next phase and the next one and so on. Must admit it was not a fun ride. Tried dope caught a habbit and then decided on 9/11 that if the NYC was gonna get blowed up I wanted to be sober enough to get out if I could not somewhere nodding or geeking on crack. I went into a 18 month treatment facility (for men) I had 44dd chest so go figure how that went? Well if you guessed bad your wrong. I did that program and before I left I was in charge. Head Team Leader. Got my stuff together and haven't looked back since. I moved in a small room took some trainings got a stipend job and moved to a apartment stayed there one year and eventually moved into a apartment with 3 other people in one of the worst neighborhoods in Brooklyn and I am a Transsexual and I didn't look completely like a women at that time my apperence was really suspect, just the same I worked hard to look better and improve my life I went to a CASAC school completed it and got a better job it only paid $19,000 a year but it sure beat hooking and stealing and the little $100 every two weeks and walfare I was making at the other job. Keep going to trainings and worked really hard and eventually I found another job. I have been on this job now for 3 almost 4 years and my salary has doubled since I started I been promoted once and I am up for a second promotion in August which will put my salary at 3 times what it was when I started. I am in school working on my combined BA/MPA with less than a year to complete the BA in Public Policy. I am married to a 25 year old who is also a student and Ex-con. My life without the drugs has flurshed. Although I still have the scars both on/in my body (cronic hep.C) and in my spirit from the drug eposides I have managed to overcome and not use. Just for today. Hope that my story may inspire someone struggling to overcome addiction or unwated addiction. See, now I work under the Harm Reduction theroy and have come to understand that some folks just can't stop till they die. But they can at least minimize the harm they do to others in their use.

[underwhelmed]

Good for you, and harm reduction is indeed the way to go.

It takes real *balls* (excuse the pun) to overcome what you did, I give you big props. Best of luck in the future.

[witchlinblue]

Oh yes your story is very inspiring, and I just want to congratulate you on all your successes. I also want to welcome you to PTO and this forum.
As far as the harm reduction; Im a big believer in that though I wasnt a few years ago. I think it takes some real education of the facts to understand the benifits of harm reduction and how it saves lives. If you dont mind me asking, do you think you got Hep C from a crack pipe ? I think many people dont realize how easily Hep C spreads among crack users. They often get burns and sores in and around the mouth and sharing a pipe moves the Hep C from one mouth to the next. I actually had some involvement in the harm reduction groups in Ottawa at one time. Im considering gettting involved in it here where I live now. Canada seems to have many good programs for harm reduction which is where I live. Especially out in Vancouver. They have had those programs running there for many many years. It does save lives. So maybe some people can get clean and others dont but in the mean time we can at least keep them from dying from something else.
Thank you for sharing your story. I think 9/11 changed many peoples lives and a lot of them werent exactly positive changes. Its really nice to hear something good coming out of it and a life being saved instead of dying.

[tranniegurl]

Thanks

I didn't get the Hep. C from the crack pipe I got it from sharing dirty needls I remember the day excatly I was so strung out that when the guy missed his hit I took the bloody needle and took the coke and the blood that was in the needle. Again thanks for the encourgement.

[Eternal Hope]

Kudos to you, tranniegurl for coming as far as you have!!!! I am wishing you the very best in your sobriety. Your story serves as an inspiration for others!!!!