4-23-08 The Harder They Fall
4-23-08 The Harder They Fall, originally uploaded by darnlucky.
Loving somebody with a drug addiction might be just as confusing and frustrating as being a drug addict yourself. Today was one of those confusing and frustrating days.
My brother, John, is in a bad bad way. His drug addiction makes him a liar, a thief, and a completely paranoid asshole. I try not to get involved. I try to stay neutral. He's burned every bridge he's got, and sometimes comes to me when he needs help. It's hard to say no to him because I still see him as my little brother.
Today I found myself caught up in the drama. There I was, sitting in the truck in the middle of crack town while my brother tried to negotiate to get back the washer, dryer, and stove he had sold to a dealer. I had to drop him around the corner and go sit in a cemetary until the negotiations were done.
A cemetary. How fitting.
It used to be something I hid. Something I'd never talk about. But as we get closer to an election, I just get mad that one of the biggest problems in our country is not even on the agenda. Our prisons are filled with drug addicts, drug dealers, and drug cooks. Our cities are filled with them, too. Our neighborhoods look clean from the outside, but don't look too closely, you might find an addict next door. You might even find one living in your own house or in your family.
We're fighting a war against terrorism, while the war against drugs is kicking our ass.