Drug Addiction in My Life Experience
Never Thought It Would Happen
This is amazing to me, Looking back over my life and to be where I’m at in life right know is a really good thing. Writing a letter for my Adult Development class, I’m in college this as taken my breath away. This is my story, a look into my life, past the present, and future. So get read to experience a story of a life time. In 1951 a man name Robert Lee was heading for a small town in Roosevelt Long Island New York, where he met a woman name Mary Alice Tyson, at the age of sixteen my father had lied to my mother, and told her he was eighteen.
They married and had a girl name Louise, then they had another child this time a boy, they named him Gary. In 1961 they birth another boy name Randy, and that would be me. We lived in Long Island for many years moving from town to town, having to make the adjustment of meeting new friends.
My father finally landed a job in Roosevelt. We lived there for fifteen years until, my parents’ divorce at an early age of my life, and I believe that was the turning point. My father being my best friend, now He was gone and we didn’t have the relationship we once had. This once great football Player, and basketball Star during my high school years.
I started selling drug, and then I lost my father all in the same year 1979 he died from drinking alcohol.
My mother took my father deaf really hard, and for years she never dated nor ever re-marries. I believe (Erikson’s said in our studies of adult development that the greatest contribution is his focus on psychosocial development), which refers to the development within the social environment in which a person lives, primarily focusing on relationships with other people (Erikson, 1968). By me move to a Never Thought It Would Happen New environment state of Connecticut in a town called Norwalk, this is where I got introduce to drugs.
I had smoked my first joint of weed. I wish I could go back to that day a thousand times in Never Thought It Would Happen. my head I wished that. Life was really hard for my mother; she worked long hours and never complains how she had to do all this alone. Some time I cried to see my mother hurt and cry some times for no reason. We moved back to Long Island, because it got hard for my mother to take care of the four of us, I forgot to tell you about my little sister Melissa, Boy she can be a handful some time. Any way I had to try and find out how I was going to help support my family.
That night I overheard my Mother on the phone, crying and not know how she was going to feed us. Right then deep down in my heart I knew then I had to help her one way or another. I was in class and an Army recruiter came into our room. He explain how we can go into the army, and gain all this knowledge and educational learning experience, Then what caught my ears was the money I can make. So I went over and ask him how I could help my mother. The recruiter explains to me how I can send money back home to my moms, and that’s all I need to hear. Three years I spent in the Army and many times I wish I had listened to my oldest brother.
Instead I spent three years of my life with United States Army, just wanting to help my moms. I came home in the 1983 everything had changed. People whom I grow up with had moved out of town, and my family had taken different direction in life. I went to look for where my mother was staying , and come to find out she had given her life to Christ and had told my brothers and sister they was on their own. So when I knock on the door there was my mother looking so bright and shiny. God I knew that a change had come over her and that the life she once had was given to this personal savior of hers.
She e was glad to see me she hugged me and kissed me, Then she ask me where was I staying. That was a bomber. Home from the service and Never Thought It Would Happen No place to stay, my mother had rented apartment with from her pastor and she was not allowed to let anyone stay with her. I knew then I had to find somebody to help me, with my living commendation. I happen to see a friend of mines name Kevin Evan, when I explain to him my problem he reached out and help me in ways no one would ever understand. Basically I was homeless, but not for long.
The place I stayed sold drugs all kinds, everything you can get high on they had it. I had to sell to stay alive and continue to eat and have some place to sleep. There was nights I felt so bad about the person I became I wanted to just crawl in a corner and die, so I did like everyone else I look for to drugs for answer. I was able to learn in class that ( Psychoactive substances) are often divided into four main categories, based on the effect that they have on the central nervous system: depressants, stimulants, opiates, and hallucinogens. According to data extrapolated from the 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2008), I fell into all four Categories.
By smoking Crack Cocaine, I Know it was really bad, never every did I think I would be smoking Crack. Life then had its hands on me, the demons I face every day was unbelievable. I got so bad I started sealing and robbing people just to support my habits. I remember one day I was standing on the corner, and a young man came up to me and said, Randy Lee. I admired you at one time, I use to love seeing you play football, know look at you. That hurt me so bad, and for the first time I can see the demons had taken control over my life.
I finally move out the drug house and move in with my sister. She tried everything she knew to help me but was unsuccessful. I knew then I had to leave and not put her and the kids in harm’s way. I stole from Jamaican and everybody I can get over on, Years of my addiction had gone by and the streets were winning and I was dying slowly. I never forget, it was winter and I was Never Thought It Would Happen Sleeping in the junk yard, I heard a voice speak to me, it said do not let your soul die live. I never understood until a few days later, and we will get to that in the next few sentences.
I got up that morning and started do what I always done, but this day felt so different form all the other days, something inside my stomach was hurting. That night I had smoke more crack then you can get, and that’s when my life change. I passed out woke up in the hospital with all these IV’S on me, my mother standing by the bed side. They had found me inside the apartment passed out. The doctor told me if they had not found me I would have died. That day August 19, 1991 I change my life I knew then what that voice had said to me to live and not die. I got save and gave my life to Jesus.
I moved to North Carolina to get closer to my mother, who was taken care of my Grandmother until she died in 2002. I got my first job working in Mt Oliver in 1991 running a winder machine, boy did that feel good working and earning a living instead of sealing drugs, I work for them six years and every day I gain respect and integrity of who I was. I meet my wife in church in 1997 we worked together at Sara lee bakery for about five years. I learned a lot from working with machinery, but that was not my heart I always wanted to help people in the social services field. I still had to support myself.
I landed a job at one of the most paying jobs in North Carolina Nucor Bearing Products, the money paid well and the company was good to its employees. Truly a lesson learned in my college lesson in, adult development theories as given me a new outlook of my future. Because of my past life as a drug addict have thought me to look at life different. After been a recover addict, then getting born into the life of Christ. Changing Never Thought It Would Happen My geographic location has helped me a lot. Moving to North Carolina gave me the motivation I needed, then after feeling confident about my life heading in the right direction.
My aunt called One day and ask us if we was interested in going into foster care. I did not know how to respond to that. So me and my wife talked it over and decided to try it for a while and see what happens. Months and then years went by, we was able to have an impact on many of those kids life. That made me really happy, when I can see myself in some of them. A broken home, in a family will always change one’s life. Michelle came over one day; she’s the case manager for Methodist Home for children. She ask us was we interested in adopting four sibling.
Again we talked it over then decided to meet the kids, and that was a rap. The day we meet those kids and to see their faces we had no other choice. It was a long process and much night of tears because of the damage caused in those kids life was unbelievable. We had to go to the court many days. The heart breaker was one of the kids father wanted to start visiting and possible take her back. I remember take her to See him one day, and she looked me in my eyes and said daddy do I have to go see that man, God that hurted me to the bones. Months then years went by; one time we did not think the adoption was going to ever happen.
I really then was able to see what I was put on this earth to do. I want to be an advocate for that child that mother and family. All the money in the world cannot pay for the joy in seeing those kids face filled with joy. Michelle called us to meeting with us, at first I said to my wife this do not sound good. We prayed and ask God to help us to accept what every the decision was. When the day finally came God had given me the answer already. We now have four other members to the Lee family, Shanyiah, shawnteh, Shyneem, Shykalah, Lee. Know I had a goal to obtain my degree in Social Science, because I
Never Thought It Would Happen wanted to be there for that family that need someone to stand in the gap for them, I knew that having a goal in life and completing it would be a mile stone for me and I’m determine. So I put it off until the timing was going to be right. In 2006 I decided to take the leap, and enrolled into Pitt Community College. In 2008 Me and started a ministry called Empower Disciple Church Ministries, so I had to put school on hold again. 2011 I enrolled into Ashford University, with determination and a goal to finish what I started. This is my life story.
