The Story of Sasha
One day Sasha went on the way leading to death, but he could luckily change himself and escape from the clingy hands of drug addiction. Now he is working several jobs at once and is renting a flat together with his friends. He has a goal – to build a big house for himself, his sister and a brother. Knowing his love to the younger, his sense of purpose and the ability to fulfill the goal, we hope he will succeed.
“When I was 5, my parents divorced. My mother, me and my elder brother had moved to the town of Vilkovo (Odessa region), where I went to school. There my mother got married and delivered 4 babies: 3 daughters and a son. At the beginning everything went well, but then the step-father started drinking and biting the mother, me and my brother. At the age of 10 I run from home for the first time – I went to Odessa city with my friends. But we were caught by the police and I had to return home, where I was hit again. I tried to escape again, but the story had repeated. When I run away the third time – I tried not to meet the police anymore. In Odessa I joined the group of boys living on the street. We were more then 20 and lived in the abandoned house. There I tried to drugs. It was a regular clue in a plastic bag. Gradually my dosage increased: I started from 2-3 tubes of clue per day, and in a year it was already 15-20 tubes of clue a day. The money for “inhaling” were coming to me differently: by mendicancy, steeling.
Over some time I have found another group where they were using injection drugs. At the beginning I was one of a few people there who has never touched the needle. But gradually everyone there was “injected”. I remember them say: “Sasha, we will give you half of a cube – there will be no addiction, but wonderful sensations guaranteed”. But the person who made the injection was talking to someone and instead of half cube injected 2 cubes – the syringe meant for everyone was used on me only. That’s how I became a drug addict at the age of 13. All the thoughts I had were on how to get money for the next shot. We could not afford good drugs, so we were injecting whatever was there. I know that drugs shorten lifetime twice, but I think whatever we took shortened our lives three times if not more. A shot – “nirvana” – a search for the next shot. That’s how 5 years of my life passed.
Then there was a sudden switch. The day of my 18th birthday I will never forget. Suddenly I wanted to see my home, where I haven’t been for 6 years. I realized I have brothers and sisters. I never cried in my life but at that day I cried hard. When I came home I found out that my brother dies 1 month ago, that the step-father left my mother and from that shock she started drinking. The younger brother and sisters were guideless. Soon after my return my mother was deprived of parental rights and the kids went to the orphanage.
For 6 month I was in the mothers house, I was ill of the drug agony. I was fainting from the body pain, but I never was injecting. When it was especially painful and hard- I prayed God to give me energy and patience to get rid of my addiction. I was not afraid of death, I was worried for my youngest sisters Alyona, Tasya, Mash and the mother Vanya. They were in the internat and there was no one to take care for them. When I started feeling a bit better I found a job. Made all the necessary documents and went to Odessa for earnings. Me and my friend worked on construction sites. Then I got to know “The Way Home” foundation, which helped me to attend and finish the college – I got the profession and became a welder. Now I am finishing my evening school education as well. The main thing – is that the Foundation helped me to find my brother and sisters – after they were taken away I did not know where they were. Sisters are now in Tuzli and my younger brother is in Belgorod Dnestrovsk. I love them and very often visit them there.
P.S. Although this talk happened in 2012, it is still alive. How is Sasha now- well! He has a wife and a family now – and is growing a little daughter who will be 1 year soon. He is in contact with his sisters and a brother and tries the best to help them. Due to his strength he could attain his goals!
