Before we get into this, just a side note. This article derails a little from my norm. I recently discovered a long lost friend has been battling with cocaine addiction for years. We have lost connection many years ago. She had moved away with her family as high school came to and end, yes a very long time ago. But, before that we have known each other since second grade. We lived right across the street from one and other and after we bonded, not a day went with out us getting together.
After she moved we managed to keep in touch for a few more years, but as time stretched on and life went thought its changes, so did we. She was always more of a party girl than I. That was fine, I enjoyed her story’s and I did my own partying also. But, got some I guess, habits are not as easy to break. I have done my share of drinking and have dabbled with almost every drug. Yes, I am a little ashamed to say it.
But, unlike her I guess, I never really latched on to any drug. Like you know, I smoke and still do smoke pot from time to time. That is the only substance I ever really bother with. I don’t even drink any more, I don’t like alcohol, but I think its more do to the health effects that bother me.
We have options, options on food, drinks, games, etc.. There are millions of options for anything and everything, but sometimes, its best no to make a decision at all. This is when this little story goes south. My long lost friend reappeared into my life and it scared the crap out of me. She has changed for the worse. How did this happen.
I had decided to take a trip to visit my parents and see the old neighbourhood. It was nice to see how little had changed and reunite with old faces. I ran to target to grab some items my mother had asked for and on the way out I bumped into her. I’m embarrassed to say, I didn’t recognise her at all. Her hair was burnt from years of abuse. Her face has aged, she looked 30yrs older than she should have and was even missing teeth.
"Mary, Mary' I cant believe it!", I heard some one say. When I turned around I had no clue who she was. Until, she gave me a hug and she noticed the fear and shock that came over me. It was then that I knew who she was. I tried to get into a weird conversation but she could see my discomfort and said how happy she was to see me.
She turned around and went on her way, I was actually relieved.
Once I got home I ask my parents about her. They told me that after struggling to live on her own, she had returned to live with her parents. But what she brought back with her was a drug addiction. It seems that she had been hooked for a long time. She lost all she had made on her own and returned empty handed and still battling demons.
Cocaine stays in your system for a long time
I remember when we first experimented with coke. We were just little girls than and didn’t even know we were high. I remember we looked at each other and acted as if we were tripping on LSD or something of the sort. It wasn’t until years later that we had both ran into cocaine again. I enjoyed it from time to time. And from her story's it didn’t seem she had much more liking to it than me.
But, I guess for some, its different. She was unable to discontinue her use and after sometime, use became abuse. She started to freebase and then shoot up. Cocaine, nothing else, coke was her down fall. If you met her now you would think she was a meth addict. But it was cocaine, a little later freebase, than naturally crack.
Just a warning, don’t push you boundaries, know your limits and always develop your will power. I think Will Power is a muscle that needs to be exercises and strengthened.