Alexey

      Hello friend! My name is Aleksey. Novosibirsk is the city where I was born and lived for 25 years, 7 of which I was a drug user. I'd like to briefly tell you about my life.
     I was 15 when I tried raw opium first. That day affected all my life. It is impossible to commit to writing all the horror drugs brought into my life and into lives of my dear ones. I shall try though.
     At first, I very much liked my carefree and cheerful life. As time went, I started to realize the money I had was not enough which pushed me to commit crimes. My relationship with parents were getting worse each day, we would have fights all the time. But I didn't care about a thing. Even B and C hepatitis that I had as early as at the age of 17 didn't make me think about my health. I no longer enjoyed drugs as much as I did in the beginning. I only needed my daily dose now to feel ok, that is to be able to sleep, eat and move. Otherwise withdrawing cravings came when every single minute lasted forever. At such moments I wanted to die but the idea of death would give me a big fright so the rest of the energy I would use to buy "medications". To come up with money I would sell things from our home pushing away my crying mother. I did regret doing that but not until the long-awaited dose was wandering through my veins.
     The day I turned 18 I was in hospital, then went to the Army and forgot about drugs for 2 years. I wouldn't have thought I would ever get back to my past. When I returned from the Army I realized that much had changed for that couple of years, including the drugs area. Raw opium had been replaced by heroin and I found myself in the same gutter up to the chin in a heartbeat. Drug induced, I never noticed the next 4 years fly by. 7 years in a row I was chased by overdose deaths of my friends, fights and problems with my parents and the police and shattered dreams and only lived expecting to die or get locked up.
     At the point when I found myself hopeless to find a way out, my mother learnt about "Salvation" Center and cherishing her hope suggested going there. I didn't believe it would help. I simply obeyed her now.
     Now after a 12-month rehabilitation course, I have what I wouldn't have dreamt of. I have real friends, a loved wife, a job, restored relationship with my parents. The most important thing is I now have God Who has given this all to me. I look ahead with confidence today. And let me tell you this: I LIVE!