Anatoliy

     As I write my testimony, I am 33 years old. If 10 years ago anyone would have told me I would be a fiend, it would have gone hard with them. It may sound odd but it was in the army when I tried drugs for the first time. It was not heroin known by everyone now but raw opium. They say it takes a while to get addicted to it. Don’t you believe it, it’s a lie. I did though but I wasn’t afraid honestly. There are no reasons for any fears when you are young and self-confident. And the army discipline was helping a lot to hold back. A good well-paid job after the army, seemed-to-be-loyal friends and trustworthy male friendship…. What can ever destroy it? Alcohol and heroin were only spicing up my life. When cravings came I thought I had caught a new virus. Having realized what it was about, I started making up for drugs by drinking vodka. Night life and drunken drawls… for one of which I was sentenced to suspended 2 years and backed off for a while. Shortly though my friend and I were driving to Ekaterinburg again for heroin, again for a shady business. We were fearful and respected. Even the police were hesitant to deal with our gang. I enjoyed that reckless adventurous life. A family with children was planned on for some time in the future… probably…
     As time went, our gang somehow went apart, and drugs were one of the main reasons for that, everyone was now for themselves. Doses I needed grew and money never sufficed. Undermined reputation had displaced the respect even to the point that I could not go outside by day. I couldn’t work any longer and didn’t want to, after all. I thought changing of the environment would change my situation and went to my home town, Chebarkul, Chelyabinsk region. Of course it didn’t help. I just kept hanging around, boozing and mainlining. I was staying with my parents. My older brother lived with us as well and had the same problem. Mother had learnt about the rehabilitation centre "Salvation", and my brother went to Asbest. When he returned in half year, I couldn’t believe my eyes. He was telling odd things about God, refused alcohol and cigarettes. And even though I kept saying he was going nuts, his smile and cheerful eyes intrigued me.
     I arrived to Antinarcotic centre "Salvation" in October 2003 and realized it was what I needed. I had been so mistaken counting on myself alone. But it was God Who helped me when I really needed help! I gave 7 years to dope and don’t want to live this life any longer! My life is now all about the Center and Church.
     When I met Oksana, she had just come for rehabilitation. It was my second year working in the center. She didn’t however measure up to the type of girls I always liked. Out of the blue, a thought popped up in my head. It was ‘here she is – my wife’. I didn’t pay much attention to that though and let it go. It’s only when Oksana was already a stuff worker of the center after a year of rehab and six months of internship that I remembered about it. We got married in May, 2007.