The other side of the story

"I was once there and like them I needed love and comfort. I needed a place to get out from that kind of depression that was slowly eating me whole. I wanted to get rid of that feeling of uneasiness, unexplained sadness and just find a way out of the road with too many rocks piled atop each other giving me a hard time to see absolute clarity of where I was heading to. Then I found and felt it there - clear vision, happiness and that feeling where for a few brief seconds you would choose to just feel that awesome feeling rather than think of what's above my thoughts. It was probably a wrong move and by far the greatest mistake I ever had that surely I will never get into again but aside from being thankful that I did not fall on that death end, far way more that that I learned to understand their story, the other side of their story." We've heard, read and watched a lot of tragic stories and events about many people who got addicted to drugs all over the world. We probably know someone (a friend, a neighbor, a relative or even a family member) who uses pushes, deals, runs or whatsoever designations call it for drugs. If you know one, pause for a second, leave all negativity that come with them behind and let's dig deeper on how the other side of their story unfolds.   College life had been such a torment but I'm glad and happy I'm through with all of those physical and mental tortures. But life after college had been a malady of suffering and affliction probably in all my life's personal aspects. My family, their expectations, moving on from a tragic break up, moving out and my unsure thoughts of where, what and who I wanted to be. Then loneliness hugged me so tight ending the nights with tears and confusions asking myself what have I done wrong for me to encounter the worst of all the worst the life has to offer.  Every time I see my phone, all I wanted was to call my mom and tell her how extremely hard I was going through that moment but I chose to tolerate all the hurt rather than make the most important woman in my life worried. I had no one to turn into in that two-story apartment building I was renting in that place I chose to find the sunrise I'd been dying to see. Few months had passed until I finally got a job that I never wanted to be in but I had no choice but gave it a shot as hoping it would help me fight midst the depression I was going through. But I was wrong in so many levels. I met some friends at work who had been my avenue in expressing what I had been keeping in the depth of myself. I found comfort in them as they share bits and pieces of their own that woke me up into a realization that "I am not alone." Contrary to that, I learned how they go away from the same sickness I had as it randomly visits. I learned how to prevent those gallons of tears from falling and stop the sadness and loneliness from invading my entirety. And that is by taking drugs. Yes, you're reading it right. I was once a user experienced it a few times that I can just even count by my fingers but learned tons of lessons from it. Getting lost and finding my way back through the love of my friends and especially my family. I'm deeply thankful that my mind still overpowered the effect of it. But during those my "high" moments, believe me or not, I found real people and shared their stories - varied experiences and varied strokes. You will not believe it at first but they will allow you to get inside their lives and show you how their true story unfolds when they are normal and nothing is controlling over their emotions and thoughts.  Maybe not all but most of the people I've met in that path were genuine. People who stood up strong and alone in their own feet as they continuously face the unending storms in their lives and move out from a sorrowful and tragic past they would choose not to retain in their memory. I saw a number of them starting a new life right after I did. One of them found his true love and was blessed with a child and he then agreed to me that getting out was not hard at all. Another found her freedom after finally seeing her family after years of finding herself.  As the "Pope for Everyone" visits the Pearl of the Orient Seas, my prayers for all who are lost to eventually find meaning of their lives making God as the centre of everything. Now, I find myself in the right time with all the courage this experience has taught me to write this very first article that I will submit to YoungBlood after writing a lot because I want everyone to understand the other side of the story. These people need our understanding and help before our own judgement. A conversation with them isn't bad at all as you will discover their story and you will surely rediscover your own.