



What is life like without drugs? That isn't an easy question to answer. First of all, every person is different. Every "bottom" is different. The reasons people want to quit are different. No one was pressuring me to stop. Despite the fact that I was homeless, depressed, and lying to everyone including my family I still did not feel any pressure to stop. Despite the fact that my health was in complete disrepair, I brushed off various symptoms. I was underweight. I was having heart palpitations from stimulant use. I had cavities and a whole in my tooth where a filling used to be. I had a few large healing abscesses. I had no glasses. I hadn't had them for years. I am unable to properly navigate the world without them. Well, I did have some glasses. they were stolen from a car and not my prescription. Someone gave them to me, thinking it was better than having to be my seeing eye bro. I was shooting up in the palms of my hands, my knuckles, the soles of my feet, the veins that run along my stomach.





Despite all this evidence, I didn't feel any pressure to quit. I felt overwhelmed by the idea of having to climb this mountain of problems. Where would I start? The housing? My health? I was running from probation. Do that first? What about the Hep C? The possibility of HIV? I felt like I was drowning in ice water. I would occasionally come up for air, the heat of the world made me burn in pain, like my skin was being scraped off by the sunlight.





What is life like without drugs? It is hard. It starts out. You stop using. You worry about shitting the bed. You jack off, you cry. You bed someone to kill you. You pray for death. You feel things for the first time. Generally, your dick comes first or your genitals in general. Then your stomach. Then water comes from your eyes. You realize you are crying, like really crying. Not sneezing and crying from withdrawal, but crying because dope or pills have been your best friend for so long. Dope has been that ride or die. You have spent your time and energy with dope. Why does it have to end life this? Because it does.





It doesn't matter if you quit cold turkey, use meds, get on subs or methadone or whatever. You still feel that loss. It stings. It hurts. You wake up one morning like "where has the past months/years gone?" You look at pictures and realize you were not there. You look in your phone and realized you haven't spoke to that person. You want to eat something and realize you don't even know what to eat anymore if it isn't sour patch kids or ice cream or something off the 99c menu. Oh fuck. You woke up one day and you are alive again.





That, that is the brilliant part. I AM ALIVE AGAIN. You will feel this rush one day. There will be this overwhelming rush. After the sadness, after the remorse, will be an overwhelming rush. There will be this feeling life maybe life isn't so bad. Maybe, I can be myself again. The air smells fresh, my dick is hard, there is a few dollars in my pocket. I heard myself laugh today. Maybe I can do this. I can sleep. I can eat. I can smile. I can function without drugs. And I am going to be okay. You will look in the mirror and know you are going to be okay. That feeling is golden. You are golden. Life begins in that moment.





What is life like without drugs? I cuddle up with my kids, with my cats, with my husband. I enjoy the fuck out of a good comforter. I like to eat, a little too much. I like to walk outside. I like to smile here and there. I don't know how to explain it. I have some FREEDOM. I could return to drugs. I could drink or smoke pot. I don't though. I just don't feel it would enhance my life. I don't knock other people that do. Not everyone fell as far as me. Not everyone is as fucking crazy as me. Period. I don't judge. I get to love people. People love me. Just like they love you.





Whatever path you chose, be safe.

Tracey XOXO.





I get lots and lots of questions. Some days, I might get up to 50 messages. I get questions about the movie "Black Tar Heroin." I get questions about naloxone. I get a few hate message. The main question I get over and over is "What is life like without drugs?"