Heroin addict overdoses and leaves this poem

Although Delaney has died, she left behind a powerful poem that has struck a chord with many. The poem, which expresses what it’s like to struggle with heroin addiction, was included by her mother in her obituary (whose online version had crashed from a surge of traffic on Friday) after she found it in her daughter’s journal. Here is the complete poem written by Delaney: Funny, I don’t remember no good dope days. I remember walking for miles in a dope fiend haze. I remember sleeping in houses that had no electric. I remember being called a junkie, but I couldn’t accept it. I remember hanging out in abandos that were empty and dark. I remember shooting up in the bathroom and falling out at the park. I remember nodding out in front of my sisters kid. I remember not remembering half of the things that I did. I remember the dope man’s time frame, just ten more minutes. I remember those days being so sick that I just wanted to end it. I remember the birthdays and holiday celebrations. All the things I missed during my incarceration. I remember overdosing on my bedroom floor. I remember my sisters cry and my dad having to break down the door. I remember the look on his face when I opened my eyes, thinking today was the day that his baby had died. I remember blaming myself when my mom decided to leave. I remember the guilt I felt in my chest making it hard to breathe. I remember caring so much but not knowing how to show it and I know to this day that she probably don’t even know it. I remember feeling like I lost all hope. I remember giving up my body for the next bag of dope. I remember only causing pain, destruction and harm. I remember the track marks the needles left on my arm. I remember watching the slow break up of my home. I remember thinking my family would be better off if I just left them alone. I remember looking in the mirror at my sickly complexion. I remember not recognizing myself in my own Damn reflection. I remember constantly obsessing over my next score but what I remember most is getting down on my knees and asking God to save me cuz I don’t want to do this no more!!! Arboleda, C. (2017). Mom shares late daughter’s poem about heroin addiction. https://www.yahoo.com/beauty/mom-shares-late-daughters-poem-heroin-addiction-210729832.html

You're spending money on heroin addicts, whether you want to or not It's our sisters, it's our nieces, it's our cousins; it's somebody in our family all the time," said Tabitha McCostlin, who recently had a friend die from an opioid overdose. There are all sorts of ways people use opioids to get high, and all sorts of people do it - through pills, powder, liquid - by swallowing, shooting, or snorting. "It's not just in the ghettos or the really bad parts; it's everywhere," said McCostlin, adding that her own friends have been affected. ADVERTISING "He passed away of a fentanyl overdose. It was just a bad batch, wrong time. It affected everyone we worked with; [he was] a very close friend of mine," said McCostlin. Beyond personal relationships, heroin addiction affects taxpayers too. A new PLOS ONE study shows the costs of heroin use disorder in 2015. In the U.S. heroin costs society $50,799 per user. According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine, 591,000 people had a substance use disorder involving heroin in 2015. According to PLOS ONE Americans spent $51.2 billion in 2015 alone on heroin use disorder. The money is spent on medical treatments, and crime and incarceration costs, among other things. None of this comes as a surprise to McCostlin. "That wouldn't surprise me at all; not [with it being] as widespread as it is," said McCostlin. The study caps off with an obvious conclusion: we need a new strategy to reduce the likelihood of abuse and provide care and support for users to overcome the disorder. `