Today I want to talk to you about a little secret of our country, and even our world. Yes, there are many issues such as death, famine, AIDS, violence, and war. However, one of the main and most troubling issues or our time is drugs. I can only relate my passion to you in one way and that is by telling you a story….

Once upon a time there was a beautiful, young girl. She was enthusiastic about life, and wanted to be a rock star. For the sake of this story, we will cal her “Michelle.” Now, Michelle had everything that a girl could want she was pretty and smart, but she did not have the strength to say no. You see, Michelle’s mom used to be a drug addict, but when little Michelle was thirteen; her mom gave it all up.

Michelle started smoking pot at thirteen and she loved it. It was the 70’s so everyone smoked pot and drank a little. Was there really any harm in it? When Michelle was 16 she met this guy. He was Spanish. He was charming, and he was handsome. But, he had this habit and he did this stuff that always made him fall asleep. Michelle did no know what it was, but she had tried pot and occasionally a little cocaine, so she decided to give it a try.

Michelle was 16 the first time that she injected heroin. She liked the feeling, but she did not know how much it would ruin her life, and ultimately this drug would take her life…..Michelle was 23 when she found out she was pregnant. She was excited, and decided to stop getting high so that she could have this baby girl. After all, Juan loved her enough to stop using. Things were going good, and Michelle did not use heroin the entire time that she was pregnant with Tina. June 15, 1982 Tina was born a healthy and happy baby girl. Michelle and Juan could not have been more pleased. With the stress of a new baby at home, Juan brought home the “stuff.” At first Michelle said no, but a little would not hurt, after all she had been clean for nine months. So, she did it and that familiar feeling came over her…and that was it. 1 ½ years later Michelle found out that she was pregnant with Liz and decided to give her up for adoption. She could not handle Tina at home, much less another one. Michelle already did things that she regretted to Tina like tying her to the crib to go out and score. Sometimes she even left her with strange men so that she could go “work.” But, she loved Tina with all her heart, it was this addiction.