A Drug Addict's Life

Average Americans do not have a clue about the world of drug addicts. I say world, because addicts that are active and living the life, have a culture of their own, hidden in plain site. People walk right through their world and do not notice it, because they choose not to, just like the homeless person who is asking for money, we look right through them as if they do not exists.

A junkie’s life is not glamorous or exciting; movies tend to lead you to believe otherwise. This seems odd to me, Hollywood usually exaggerates certain aspects of an addict’s life and glamorizes others, what are trying to accomplish with this approach, shouldn't they be encouraging and rewarding those who recover from addiction?

The daily routine of a junkie is pretty much the same for all average users. Junkies or heroin addicts live a lifestyle that is simply a race against getting sick. I am not talking about the guy who comes in to the city on payday and gets high. I am talking about the true addict, the person who lives, breathes and sweats dope.

Upon waking up, the very first thought instantly is, “did I save some for morning?” The addicts mind races until they can remember if they did actually save “a wakeup”, if so, where did they hide it, and how quickly can they get it in their veins? If the junky is having a good day, they’ll get a hit, (inject the heroin into the vein), if not they can poke themselves that needle a hundred times (literally) before finding a vein that can handle the injection. You can imagine the aggravation of the day, if they succumbed to their addiction and did their wake-up the night before.

The day’s mission, just like every other day, is to make money, to get more drugs. Most junkies break the law in some way or another to get money. The average user spends at the very least $100 a day on drugs alone, a 9-5 job usually won't take care of their habit. Once they have money in their pocket, for a "do" and, maybe a rock on the side, the need to get high is overwhelming. They probably told themselves thousands of times that they were going out to work once and not coming back until done for the day. That plan goes out the window just as quickly as they can hit speed dial.

Doing it All Over Again... and Again... and?
Back to the neighborhood in search out drugs, hoping to not get ripped off or beat up and get high. At this point in their addiction, they do not get "high" too often; the whole point of their existence is to just “not get sick”. It is just a race, making money as fast as possible, so they can spend it all attempting to get high. When the junky stops working (committing crimes for money) for the day, and goes back to where they live, they buy as many drugs as they can. Of course, they may be robbed, beat up, or overdose, but, usually they simply buy drugs and go home, pass out and then wake up wondering, “did I save some from last night?”