Êonstantin

     Hello, my name is Konstantin. Let me tell you a little bit about myself. “The crazy reckless 90s” as they call the late 20th century: reforms in the country and lives of the soviet people… Criminal gangs were emerging and openly operating. To be part of one was cool, respectful and safe. So, not knowing what to get engaged in and not wanting to work, my friends and I decided to try ourselves in the roles of the cool guys. All we knew about drugs at the time was picked up from the movies “Pulp Fiction” and “Bullet”, and since you’ve got your mind set on becoming cool you have to go all the way. Lots of weed had been smoked and no less had been drunk, but the “real high” was forbidden and longed for.
     At the start, raw opium was easy and free to get. You just had to come to a gypsy house in a good car, demonstrate and give clear explanation of your belonging to the “mighty” part of the society for the drug dealers to hand you a few grams of the substance no problem. After a little bit of processing, it would turn into the desirable solution and be shot into a vein. This is how my dope fiend “career” started off. Shortly prior to that, my mother had died which made me completely wild. The only thing that was holding me back was that between the death of my mother and my getting on drugs I had fallen in love and that person was keeping me on the surface of the swamp. She kept me afloat and my desire and idea of quitting drugs was constantly panging in my head but I had no the strength or power to do it on my own. For that period, much money and health was spent for dope, I got a few criminal records, but everything was in vain – I could realize I would never be able to get off drugs.
     In October of 1998, when everything I owned I was wearing, and my loved ones could no longer stand what had become of me, came the salvation and I literally mean it. The name of the rehabilitation center my sister called was “Salvation”, and the thing was that rehabilitation they offered was free of charge after all. I completed my course, got freed and married the girl who kept cherishing the hope and helped me survive with her patience, right attitude towards my addiction problem and, of course, love.
     Over the last nine years, I have been working in the Center. To those who have found themselves going through a hard life situation or might have already lost their hope, like I did before, I would love to say that there IS SALVATION!