Crack
At first
it was fun. Then it reached the point where every time I used,
I had chest pains and my heart beat would go crazy; and yet I
couldn't stop."
"There I
lay in the hospital, almost dead from an overdose. My heart felt
like it was about to jump out of my chest and yet all I could
think about was getting another hit."
"I couldn't
stop until my whole paycheck was gone. I promised myself that
next week it would be different -- 'I'll only do one' -- but one
turned into two, two turned into three, and before I knew it,
I was promising myself again: 'Next week it will be different..."
"I had it
all - a good job, a loving wife and family, everything I ever
wanted and WHAM! It was all gone in a matter of weeks."
"I said that
I would never be caught peeping out windows or crawling around
on the floor. A few days later I was peeping and geeking. I thought
someone was out to get me. The paranoia almost drove me insane.
"
"I knew it
was killing the baby growing inside me, but I couldn't stop."
"I couldn't
stop and then it was too late and I still couldn't stop."
"At first
it was gotta quit; then it was gotta quit, can't quit; finally,
it was can't quit, gonna die."
Can you relate to these
feelings? Have you been through many of the same situations, made
the same promises to your family, to your friends, and most of all,
to yourself? So have we. We have truly wanted to keep these promises.
We did everything in our power, but we still always seemed to come
up short.
Who are we?
We are former crack users. We are members of Cocaine Anonymous.
Today, many of us realize that crack cocaine played a major role in
our failures and in our broken promises. We know that cocaine took
away our drive to do anything except more cocaine. We were driven
by cocaine and nothing else seemed to matter. Even if it made us feel
miserable, we had to have it.
If crack cocaine made us
feel miserable, why did so many of us continue to use?
Ask a hundred cocaine addicts
that same question and you will probably get a hundred different answers,
but no matter how many reasons exist, one fact is certain: crack cocaine
is a highly addictive drug. Once used, it becomes the root of most
of our problems.
For many of us, it was only
a matter of weeks of using before our whole world came crashing down
upon us; for some it came sooner, for some it came later.
Some of us used other drugs
or alcohol for years without ever experiencing the loss that we experienced
with crack cocaine.
So how do we stop using
crack?
Cocaine Anonymous has a few simple suggestions on how you should start:
Abstinence
Don't use no matter what. We suggest abstinence from all mind-altering
substances.
One Day at a time
Remember that you don't have to stay clean and sober for the rest
of your life. We do this one day at a time.
Meetings
Attend C.A. meetings daily. Cocaine Anonymous meetings are where you
meet other recovering addicts who have similar problems. We share
our experience, strength, and hope with each other to find common
solutions through working the Twelve Steps of Cocaine Anonymous.
Telephone
When you want to use, call the Cocaine Anonymous HotLine in your area.
Get phone numbers from people in the meetings and call them day or
night.
Remember that you are not
alone. Keep in touch with other recovering cocaine addicts. We are
here to help you.
Literature
Home
Approved Literature. Cocaine
Anonymous World Services, Inc. Copyright 2000.
