Do you think that I’m alone?
Do you think that I’m unique?
Do you think that I’m the only addict,
with a good heart underneath?
Look beyond the drugs,
the sores and the blisters…
We’re mothers, we’re fathers,
we’re brothers, and sisters.
It may be hard to see,
I know you can’t tell.
Cause I was there too,
and we hide it so well.
The addiction takes over,
and you watch them disappear.
Into another world,
like the other side of the mirror.
But there is a way out,
They can become so much more, you see!
A lesser travelled path,
That we call “Recovery”.
It’s not an easy road,
and many won’t even try.
Unless they reach the point of change,
some will use until they die.
So next time you see that junkie,
or that drunkard on the street.
Pray that they get better,
That, God they finally meet.
Because I am not alone,
and I am not unique.
I am just another junkie,
Who got back up on his feet.
I wish I could send a letter,
to myself in the past.
I’d tell myself to let them go,
those women just won’t last.
My heart was set on nonsense,
I had no want to stay.
But I am so thankful,
that it didn’t stay that way.
Eventually I found the one,
that my heart calls home.
But I wasted so much time,
with women on my phone.
I guess they were each a lesson,
when I look in the mirror.
Each failed attempt at love,
made the right path more clear.
Well then, I guess I’d tell myself,
to stay away from drugs.
I got so caught up in meth,
I forgot who I was.
But if I’d never done the drugs,
I would never have moved away.
And if that’d never happened,
I wouldn’t be here today.
Moving down here,
is how I met my wife.
So I guess in a way,
the drugs gave me life.
Ok, maybe I’d tell the old me,
to stay away from those guys.
The ones that sell me drugs,
and the ones that tell me lies.
But years down the road,
some of those guys do great.
A few of them even,
had a hand in my escape.
Every loss I’ve had,
has led me to a win.
So I wouldn’t be where I am,
if it wasn’t for where I’ve been.
I guess I won’t send this letter,
I’ll let God make the plan.
I know I fell down a lot,
but I became a good man.
Listen up,
and listen well.
I’ve tasted heaven,
and I’ve walked through hell.
Life can feel,
so unfair.
It all becomes,
too much to bare.
I used to cut,
and scratch my skin.
I have faith today,
but I came from sin.
Sex was cool,
and drugs were fun.
Lying, stealing,
and carrying a gun.
I thought I was tough,
I thought I was hard.
My Dad would pass out,
and I’d take his car.
I’d be gone for days,
no plan in sight.
My Dad was home,
worrying all night.
Would this be the time,
that he’d get that call?
That I’m not coming home…
Not this time at all.
Prison or death,
was my fate it seemed.
A life after this,
was just a dream.
But I finally woke up,
so I could push this farther.
But that’s more than I can say,
for my dear old father.
I was a year off the drugs,
When Dad passed away.
I was there when he died,
and I miss him every day.
He never got to see me,
speaking to a crowd.
Or maybe he did,
because now, he’s all around.
I’m glad I straightened up,
before Dad left this Earth.
Your family deserves that,
they’ve loved you since your birth.
So hang up your guns,
and don’t take that next pill.
Because the streets will never love you,
like your family will.
As I said, before, this piece is amazing. I just read it again today, and every time i read it I feel the impact as if I am reading it for the first time. You are brilliant and I am so inspired by you. Thank you for sharing and thank you for being part of our community. <3 Lauren