Overcoming a Dysfunctional Childhood

Talking about my past has always been difficult for me. But now at seventeen, I have accepted that my parents are recovering drug addicts. Some people say that a child who is raised in that type lifestyle corrupts the child or makes them act differently than the so - called "perfect lifestyle" children.

People say that a child raised in a home secretly ruled by drugs can't handle the truth, and can't handle a lot of things normal life itself throws at everyone. But what a lot of people don't know is in a lot of cases where the parents are actively doing drugs, the children fear turning into a person who chooses that lifestyle. They are more cautious with trying things and exploring the "unknown." Many do all they can not to fall into that lifestyle.

I will say, yes, there are cases where the child turns into the negative product of drug addicted parents. But I have actually witnessed a larger number of children turning to drugs and alcohol who come from what is known as "the perfect childhood."

In my story, my parents started drugs at the age of twenty five. It was like my former parents passed away, leaving me at age five and my older sister at age seven. Their drugs of choice were methamphetamine and opiates. They were not only addicts, but also drug dealers. Methamphetamine is a powerful central nervous system stimulant which completely recreates a person into someone unrecognizable. When crossed with opiates such as Oxycontin or Lortab, the results are even more insane.

At only five, I didn't understand the circumstance I was in. But growing up in that life style, in my eyes, only made me stronger. As everyone knows, choosing life with or without drugs is one of the biggest issues we all have to face these days. However, living in that lifestyle for so long has made me who I am and who I will become, to a large degree. Talking with people about drug use and how it effects their children is something I have come to realize will one day help someone.