"You want to know about my drug addiction, right?" says Patrick as we begin the interview. Patrick is one that encompasses a pretty "laid back" personality, so to hear him say this so bluntly was shocking. He is now a typically twenty-one year old. He goes to school full time, works a consistent job, and occasionally hangs out with friends. Knowing him now, one would never draw to the conclusion that he was once a drug addict. .
Patrick's addiction began at the age of thirteen and slowly progressed. By the time he was fifteen, he had begun using cocaine and heroin on a daily basis. "Drugs were what my world revolved around," Patrick says to me with a face of disappointment. At the age of sixteen, things proceeded to get worse. Patrick was homeless and spending his nights sleeping under a bridge. He tells me, "I called it camping, I knew I was in denial." He did have a job, but used all the money had to purchase narcotics. I asked him, "Why do such a thing? Why not care about your well-being and health first?" He then simply says, "Drugs were more important than my life and those around me." .
At the age of sixteen, Patrick's addiction had grown worse and the world around him seemed to be crumbling. He then later decides it's time for change. He tries to make this change in various different ways. He thought he could find this comfort through relationships, religion, family, etc Little did he know that it takes more than this to break an addiction. He learned this the hard way, but later came to the realization that he needed more help. He needed help from medical professionals. He later decided to go to rehab. He tells me that this step was, "one of the most difficult decisions of his life." While in rehab, Patrick was introduced to a programed called Narcotics Anonymous (NA). .
Narcotics Anonymous is a program that aims to stop the addiction and openly talk to other addicts about the same struggles they face staying attempting to stay "clean.