Escaping the claws of addiction

By Deneita Fredericks

FOR Francine Mitchell, addiction to drugs didn’t come all at once. Though divorced, she had a family who adored her, two wonderful children and a humble abode in Maichony. Life was good for the serving police constable and she was highly respected by her community.
But slowly, addiction crept into her life, much like it does in the lives of many people who might otherwise appear to “have it all together.”

In 2010, at the age of 55, she first tried out ‘crack’. Along with curiosity, she expected it to fill the voids in her life but, “It didn’t solve anything.”
In her mind, she wasn’t resilient enough to battle with the addiction thus she became susceptible to the temptation. She quickly spiralled into a life of depression and hurt.

When her life became unmanageable
Mitchell’s urge to smoke quickly escalated over time. It just took one tobacco cigarette to open her gateway to trying all sorts of different drugs. In quick succession, she lost everything that she worked hard for; her job, her home, her dignity.
By this time, her daughter was overseas studying and her son- who was only 12, was in her care. According to Mitchell, her boy suffered the most. Being young without a mother to comfort him from the misfortunes of the world, he became cold and merciless. His trust became limited and he raged with anger.

After several family interventions, she swore off smoking crack for a while and even sought help from her church’s pastor. She began treatment and was rehabilitated. Unfortunately, this only lasted for three months. Her relapse was a result of over-confidence and this time was even more catastrophic. Feelings of rejection, suicide and loneliness flooded her mind. She recalled, “You become powerless when addicted. It’s like you have no control over what you think, say or do.”

Mitchell recalled one night when she saw an old time friend who decided to give her a chance to regain herself.

A second try at breaking free
Despite her struggles to combat addiction, she decided to try to change once more. She prayed and faithfully tried to motivate herself, but somehow still felt lost inside. This determined woman took up a job as a security guard. Sadly, this too didn’t last and she relapsed nine months after being clean.

“I realised that I wasn’t ready to come back into society. People criticised me, condemned me and disrespected me,” she said.
Her anger towards people became stronger and stronger as days went by.

Mitchell related the days that she would walk the roads homeless, with nothing to eat and worst of all, having people look at her in a scornful way and she would lash out at them.
“I wouldn’t want this life for anyone. The part that hurts me the most is that I let down the people who needed me the most. I hurt them even more than I was hurting. One day I was walking and I saw my son on the road going to school so I called out to him. When his friend pointed me out to him he looked back and responded, ‘That’s not my mother,’” she said with tears forming in her eyes.

The diagnosis
She began to spend money solely on drugs. Things took a turn for the worst when the following year, she was diagnosed with a severe heart condition after deciding to visit the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) for a checkup. Her valves were closing and her arteries were blocked.

“One night I was lying down and I said to myself, ‘Is this how I’m going to let my life play out?’ I realised that I was letting drugs score the points every time. I stopped feeling sorry for myself; I was not going to let myself be the victim any longer. It was time for me to get my life back,” she said.

Her success story
Later that month she committed herself to putting her life back together. She thanked her family for never leaving her side even though she disappointed them. She received sponsorship from her family and other people in the United States. She learnt to spend her money on food instead of drugs. Mitchell was placed in the night shelter, where she slowly got her life back on track.

“It wasn’t easy, many days I was tempted but I promised myself that I was going to take control of the path my life leads,” she said.
The warrior in this woman persevered and she is now one year clean. The journey wasn’t an easy one for her but she pulled through and intends to keep pushing herself for greatness. Mitchell told this newspaper that she is on a mission to get back her own home even though she cannot work due to her condition.

She urges people to stay away from drugs and to those already on it to fight the habit. She believes that if you live a life free of drugs, you can make anything possible.