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After years of drug use, the consequences that come from this had caught up with me. While I was inebriated from the effects of drugs such as heroin and cocaine, futilely escaping from my troubles in life, I never knew the forthcoming problems that would stem from this. As a teenager, I escaped from the fact that my father wasn't around and that I felt isolated at school by smoking reefer and staying high.

When I attended college, I began to use more potent drugs-LSD, PCP, and cocaine. The more I used, the more I drifted from reality. I was losing touch with my self. Eventually, I was using these drugs just to feel "normal." I wouldn't feel right if I wasn't on the drugs I was using at the time. No other drug made me feel more like this than heroin. My severe dependency for it physically and spiritually depleted my energy. I stopped cold turkey only to relapse and fall again to the drug. I stopped and cut off my connection to the drug world of heroin and cocaine.

However, just when I thought my troubles with drugs were over, new ones emerged. Because of years of drug dependence, I began to develop behavioral disorders. After my physical withdrawal from heroin, I was feeling edgy and unsettled. I felt aggressive, and wanted to "start trouble." I picked fights with people, but they usually were intimidated by my behavior and kept away.

This aggression led to feelings of depression, dissatisfaction, and unhappiness. My depression began to affect my performance at work. I was also going through a separation with my children and their mother. Nothing feels worse than being without them. I felt suicidal and was self-destructive.

I was fortunate to be with a loved one who helped and advised me to seek therapy. I now see a psychiatrist once a month and a therapist every other week. With their treatment and prescribed medication, I am learning how to deal with my behavior, and to cope with my separation from my children.

From my experience, I've learned of the terrible troubles drugs can bring, both from using them and withdrawing from them. The consequences of drug dependency can be so severe that, once stopping, behavioral disorders may emerge. However, with professional treatment, people, such as myself, can fight back and regain their lives.