Narrative Essay

When I look back at my mistakes, I'm grateful for the lesson that comes with each of them. I

have been through many challenges in life but none of them could compare my struggle with meth.

They say hindsight is 20/20. I never saw those dark times coming and once I realized I was caught in

the abyss, it took everything in me to overcome it. I had to rebuild every aspect of my life and start

over.

My downfall began the summer following my high school graduation because all I wanted to do

with my free time was party. I didn't sign up for college classes or go find a job like many others.

Instead, I used my free time to drink and smoke cigarettes with a multitude of friends. We always went

to parties and traveled together. We would come up with illicit schemes to get fast money. I was young

and brazen; not necessarily a law abiding citizen. I was living the good life and I was naive enough to

think it could last forever.

Through all the partying I met many kinds of people. I met a girl who eventually became a

serious girlfriend. Some time later I noticed that she had strange habits like leaving at unexpected times

and staying up extremely late every night. When confronted, she revealed to me that she was a steady

user of methamphetamine. She showed me her pink glass pipe and I watched her smoke it. I told

myself it would be okay to try one time, and I thought I would never actually be one of those tweakers.

I put the pipe to my mouth while my girlfriend used a lighter to melt the crystal substance inside it

down to a bubbling puddle. I rolled the pipe from side to side while inhaling the smoke evaporating off

of the liquid meth. The rush was instant. I felt a warm tingle spread through my whole body as I

exhaled. I had just taken my first step into the Valley of Death and there was no turning back. I was

hooked. I started smoking everyday, despite this being contradictory to what I told myself the first

time. I became a tweaker.

My friends and family all took notice. Their general change in attitude toward me was subtle.
Six months in and I was sure no one respected me anymore and no one was there for me. Eventually

the only people I had left were my girlfriend and the other meth users we had been associating with.

Inevitably, I ended up in jail and was released to find myself homeless because none of my family

would support me anymore. I had become a burden to them. All I had left was a beat up car and a

plastic tub full of my only belongings. I was doing nothing with my life. These were extremely dark

times for me. I missed my old life so much.

I remember feeling like I had hit the infamous rock bottom. I had tried several times to stop

using. I tried cutting down and weening myself off from it which never worked because I would go

several days here and there without the drug, but sooner or later I would always find myself back in the

middle of another month-long binge. I tried cold turkey, but this always turned into cutting down once I

saw others around me using. Deep down I knew what I had to do and it was just a matter of manning

up and gathering the necessary courage – I had to cut myself off from all of those people entirely to

regain my old friends and family. This meant I couldn't depend on the company of other drug users

even if it meant being lonely for months, or years. I had to show my real friends and family that I could

stay sober and become independent so that I was no longer a burden to any of them.

Over the next year, I made these things happen. I could take breaks, but I had to look deep

inside of myself to find the strength I need to stop using for good. It was something I had to do for

myself and no one else. I quit going with my girlfriend to drug houses and associating with any of her

so called friends. Six months later my girlfriend and I broke up for good. Not fast enough, in my

opinion. I got a full-time job and got my own studio apartment. This is when the people I cared about

actually took notice of my progress. A couple others followed my example and got sober too, and my

grandparents and cousins finally started talking to me.

Through my struggles I've grown and learned how to be an independent adult. My mistakes

have taught me well . I went from homeless and addicted to drugs to a having a job, a house, a new car,

and I'm taking college classes. My friends and family are there for me again and I've never been so
grateful. I'm doing positive things and making my loved ones proud for once. I now have a vision of

where I want to go in life, and it's crystal clear.