My Story

Freddie is my first name. It is also the first and last word you will see in this story. I want to tell you briefly about my struggle with addiction and how harm reduction is changing my life. I came to New York three years ago, heart broken and in active addiction. NA meetings were not effective for me because I was not a perfect person and what I got from them was a bunch of angry people who passed judgement and looked down on everyone who did not think excactly as they did. Complete abstitnance was not realistic either. I had put down the crack, but I would have a drink when I went out, and to this day, I still smoke Newports. I was in complete dispair. My lover had dropped me because of my crack addiction and I stopped caring after that. I did not know who I was, what I was going to do or how to do it. All I knew was that I was in pain. I was lucky when I was introduced to a harm reduction program in Harlem. El Faro is an ADHC that meats the addict where he or she is and feeds them information. There is no judgement. Most addicts feel badly about themselves anyway. After finding out that I am indeed only humand and not so unique I found tha I had developed a network. I also found that was not smoking crack after a signifacant amount of time. I was not so sad anymore this new person I was becoming began to smile again. Today I am in school, still crack free and even have a stipend position in the program. I'm a better person today, no longer lost. I've learned there is a bettter way and hope is possible. Now I know I have a future and I am also getting to know a pretty nice guy who's name is Freddie.