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Crack
"At first
it was fun. Then it reached the point where every time I used, I had
chest pains and my heart beat would go crazy; and yet I couldn't stop."
"There I
lay in the hospital, almost dead from an overdose. My heart felt like
it was about to jump out of my chest and yet all I could think about
was getting another hit."
"I
couldn't stop until my whole paycheck was gone. I promised myself
that next week it would be different -- 'I'll only do one' -- but one
turned into two, two turned into three, and before I knew it, I was
promising myself again: 'Next week it will be different..."'
"I had it
all - a good job, a loving wife and family, everything I ever wanted
and WHAM! It was all gone in a matter of weeks."
"I said
that I would never be caught peeping out windows or crawling around
on the floor. A few days later I was peeping and geeking. I thought
someone was out to get me. The paranoia almost drove me insane."
"I knew it
was killing the baby growing inside me, but I couldn't stop. I
couldn't stop and then it was too late and I still couldn't stop."
"At first
it was gonna quit; then it was gotta quit, can't quit; finally, it
was can't quit, gonna die."
Can you
relate to these feelings? Have you been through many of the same
situations, made the same promises to your family, to your friends,
and most of all, to yourself? So have we. We have truly wanted to
keep these promises. We did everything in our power, but we still
always seemed to come up short.
Who are we?
We are
former crack users. We are members of Cocaine Anonymous.
Today, many
of us realize that crack cocaine played a major role in our failures
and in our broken promises. We know that cocaine took away our drive
to do anything except more cocaine. We were driven by cocaine and
nothing else seemed to matter. Even if it made us feel miserable, we
had to have it.
If crack
cocaine made us feel miserable, why did so many of us continue to
use? Ask a hundred cocaine addicts that same question and you will
probably get a hundred different answers, but no matter how many
reasons exist, one fact is certain: crack cocaine is a highly
addictive drug. Once used, it becomes the root of most of our problems.
For many of
us, it was only a matter of weeks of using before our whole world
came crashing down upon us; for some it came sooner, for some it came
later. Some of us used other drugs or alcohol for years without ever
experiencing the loss that we experienced with crack cocaine.
So how do we
stop using crack?
Cocaine
Anonymous has a few simple suggestions on how you should start:
Abstinence
Don't use
no matter what. We suggest abstinence from all mind-altering substances.
One Day at a time
Remember
that you don't have to stay clean and sober for the rest of your
life. We do this one day at a time.
Meetings
Attend C.A.
meetings daily. Cocaine Anonymous meetings are where you meet other
recovering addicts who have similar problems. We share our
experience, strength, and hope with each other to find common
solutions through working the Twelve Steps of Cocaine Anonymous.
Telephone
When you
want to use, call the Cocaine Anonymous HotLine in your area. Get
phone numbers from people in the meetings and call them day or night.
Remember that you
are not alone. Keep in touch with other recovering cocaine addicts.
We are here to help you.
WE'RE HERE AND
WE'RE FREE
|
Approved
Literature. Cocaine Anonymous World Services, Inc. Copyright 2003. |
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