Parker, a resident at The Manor of Hope talks about active addiction and his plans for the future.
From the video:
Parker, a resident at The Manor of Hope talks about active addiction and his life since staying at the Manor and his plans for the future.
“ For me what it felt like to be in active addiction was to be quite honest, terrifying because you wake up every morning and wonder am I gonna die tonight. You have to figure out how you’re going to get the money to get the drugs you need, how you’re going to get the money to eat, if you eat. Sometimes you just don’t eat, ever. It’s tough. It’s very tough.
My future has gotten 10 times better
You’re surviving, you’re not living and it’s hard, very hard. The fact that I’d wake up in a slide every night. I’d wake up in public bathrooms because I’d have nowhere else to stay and if I did manage to stay at someone’s house, like a friend or just someone off the street, I’d end up stealing from them and getting kicked out thus making myself homeless again.
My life has gotten drastically better. I’m eating you know. I’m eating three meals a day and I’m having fun on the weekends and even throughout the week because I have a job now that I’m holding and I go every single day on time, not high. I do my job ten times better than I ever have in my past. For my future, honestly it’s gotten 10 times brighter. Back then I had no future. My future was running with a gang – nothing to write home about. Now that I’m doing things differently and I’m in a program that is helping me become a man I see myself with a wife, with kids, having my own house, my own car and being able to provide for the people that I love. Being able to provide for my family whenever they get too old to provide for themselves.
Hope for me is that little voice inside your head that says, keep going there’s something better on the other side.”
