I've Learned to Grow

Hello, my name is Charles. 

I'm 66 yrs old  and I'm originally from the Bronx NY and moved to Newark NJ in 1971.

At the age of 12 I stared making bad choices by starting to smoke marijuana, drinking wine , and sniffing glue. All due to the crowd I was hanging around, all for acceptance . 

At 13 I was introduced to heroin , I didn't like it to much because it left a strange taste in my mouth. After that I started shooting it.  On the streets, we called this, "Skin Popping."

That was for a short period of time before I started main lining. 

I was lost.  Caught in my addiction.  All of this lead me to a life of crime. I started shoplifting to support my habit. At that time I thought it was cool to shoot dope and have track marks in my arms because that's what everybody did in my neighborhood. 

At 15 I used to hang in Harlem NY , walking around with my hands swollen from shooting up in my hands.  At this time I was sent to juvenile detention centers until I turned 16. At this time I continued shoplifting and breaking into car trunks to support my habit.

For the next three yrs. I was going in and out of Riker's Island . In NY everyone 16 and over was sent to Riker's Island with a record like mine.

In 1971, I was released from Riker's and moved to Ingelwood NY.  I started committing burglaries to support my drug habit because while locked up I didn't learn anything about my addiction.  I was punished, caged, and didnt have the opportunity to learn about who I was hurting, what I was doing, or about myself. 

In 1998 I started hanging out in Newark NJ . At this time I started cashing bad checks, using other people's credit cards, and pick pocketing.  All of this led me in and out of The Bergen County Jail until 2017 when I accepted Drug Court . My record shows 38 convictions and I have been arrested over 200 times , and was sent down state prison fourteen times over the yrs prior to coming to Straight And Narrow in Oct 2017.

While in S/N I found myself tired of doing all of these things and getting the same results.  I learned patience, I've met a lot of people who are in recovery and go to meetings , and are doing maintenance with their recovery. I also realized that I was getting older and I didn't what to continue to live my life like this.

I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired.

My eight months in S/N thought me how to be a man, be independent, how to be responsible, and how to live life on life terms.   Before S/N I didn't have a clue on how to do these things.  I never learned how to do these things.   

My clean date is Oct 22nd 2016.   

Since completing the program in June 2017 I have found my own apartment, had the liberty to have all of my court cases dismissed, have gotten reunited with my family whom had never given up on me and is my biggest support system.  I would like to thank S/N for giving me the opportunity turn my life around , and to become a better person.