Oleg

     Hello! My name is Oleg. In 2008 I turned 30. I was born to a regular family no different from many others, finished a high school and then a professional school. What else does one need now? Live, work, build your future!
     However, during the late 90s, that reckless time, every young man deasired to appear cool and powerful to their mates. I was no exception and got hooked on that trend as well. How else could I excel? Only by doing something forbidden, criminal and by having friends much older than myself. My friends and I started by smoking seemingly harmless pot, but it was no longer enough with time as we wanted for greater feelings. Then we learned about heroin using which at the time was really trendy and cool! At first, we liked sniffing it but we were gradually getting drifted away to the point of starting to use drugs on a regular basis! All our plans would now end up being where and how to come up with dough and get high. Shortly, we met an experienced user who offered us to try injecting drugs saying that it takes a smaller amount of solution but gets you real high. From then on we used every day! There is an expression “In the twinkling of an eye”… this is somewhat how it happened in my life. In the twinkling of an eye, I turned into a dope fiend totally dependable on heroin. Borrowing money, I would obviously have nothing to pay back with so I got engaged in robberies. I lost my job and ended up selling household things. Later on, I would spend nights out and got health problems – heroin was destroying my life. Now that was no more trendy and cool for me!!!
     My parents attempted to help me, got me admitted to hospitals hoping I would be released all healthy and start life anew. But everything was to no avail. I was as if spelled after coming out of hospitals; heroin kept beckoning me! It went on this way for about 3 years; life was no longer meaningful and interesting but dark as heroin was ruling over me.
     In October of 2000, I first heard about the “Salvation” Rehabilitation Center. They admitted people for rehab courses for free which really took me by surprise. Out of despair I agreed to go there thinking I would return home in just a couple of weeks. On the 28th of October, 2000, I stepped into the “Salvation” Center where I was welcomed by the cheerful guys and girls. They were telling me their stories about their former addiction troubles and how their lives had changed. I completed the whole rehab course and had my life dramatically changed in that year. I obtained new values and started a new moral life.
     Presently, I live in Asbest of the Sverdlovsk Region and am full of thanksgiving to God and those who supported me though my first steps of the new life. I do not use drugs, do not smoke, do not swear and stay away from the many bad things that used to be part of my life. I live a happy life and get a fright every time I find myself thinking that I could not have all this now.
     Perhaps, you are accidentally stopping by here and reading this story of mine and find it very similar to yours. If so, I wish to tell you this right from the bottom of my heart: “Dear friend there is a happy beautiful life – a life with God! And there is a “Salvation” for you!”