When I was 8 years old, my mom and dad lost their rights and I was placed into the foster care system.
I remember some good memories from my childhood, but most of the memories are not very good. The unpleasant thoughts and feelings plagued my mind every single day. When I was a teenager, I wanted to end my life and I contemplated suicide on several different occasions. I wanted to run away from home and pretend that I was someone else. I wanted a way out of my life and drugs became the answer. Some people in my high school were hanging out drinking beers after school and I joined them. We quickly started doing lots of different drugs and I had a major meth problem before I was 21 years old. I went to rehab a couple of times. I didn’t have any family or many friends, so there really wasn’t anyone looking out for my mental health, until I found a job working for an older woman. The old lady wanted to sell her home and needed someone to help fix up the place. I worked 3 days a week and the old lady and I talked everyday. During my second week of work, the old woman offered to smoke a marijuana joint with me. Believe it or not, it was the first time I ever tried marijuana. I was always into heavier drugs in the past. I didn’t know what to expect and I was surprised by the calming and relaxing sensation I had after smoking the marijuana joint. I felt more relaxed and confident then I had in many years.