“I have a lot of people I care about, and they are victims of drug abuse. But it just makes me stronger. It’s actually both of my parents who are addicted to drugs. It started around a decade ago. I am not sure exactly how it happened… but drugs are just a way of avoiding your problems, and denying your problems. Anyone can fall into that.
“I am 17, and I try and support them. Of course I am a hormonal teenager, so I know I am not always a pleasant person to be around, but I carry my weight, and they carry their own, and we survive, and get food on the table. I do tell them how I feel. I always try to be honest with them. I try to be as nice as I can, I mean they are my parents and I love them, but there are a lot of emotions dealing with them, and it makes things very tense in our home, so it’s not always the best. We argue a lot. But they try to do their best.
“My sister and I had to grow up really fast. She is five years older than me, and while she was in high school, she basically had to raise me, and that is no task you should ever give to a teenager. My sister and I are very very close. She has moved to California to get a new life, and I say good for her. I love her for that. After such tense times, you really need to start over.
“Communicating with my parents is the biggest challenge I have with them. To feel like I always have to keep a smile on my face, and trying to not get mad at them is so hard. I really do try to understand what they are going through, but it is really hard.
“The way I see it is there is potential for so much bad in this world, that means there is potential for a lot of good. That means there is bound to be a bright shining day tomorrow. I am just keeping my eyes open, going through life. Even when you see something bad happen, you just got to imagine there is equal potential for something good. That’s how I get through day by day.”
~ Toms River Library
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