henry

MX was the pill of the day. Within half an hour of swallowing it, there would be a tingling feeling on our ears and soon it became numb. That was the time when the pills took effects. In full view of the public, my clique of about fifteen friends would be walking around, swaying from side to side as though high on alcohols. Lots of noises were created but the public just left us alone.

From pills, we switched to marijuana. Painstakingly, my friend would create a hole on the side of a liquor bottle. Attached to the hole was a pipe for holding the marijuana. Bottle was filled with water just above the hole. Sucking through the mouth of the bottle, smoke would be drawn into and out of the water with bubbling sounds. It took a person with a strong lung to finish just that puff. When a person was high, one must be able to control one's thoughts. A happy thought would give way to a wonderful feeling. Lying flat on the bench, somehow I thought of my heart being torn apart with bloods around. That kind of scene caused me to vomit again and again. That was the last time I took marijuana.

Next, we tried heroin. From a clique of fifteen members, it slimmered down to six. Cigarettes were stuffed with heroin after which it would be wetted all over with saliva to slow down the burning speed. We even tried the so-called 'chasing the dragon' method. Heroin was placed on foil sheet, easily available in every hard-packed cigarettes. Heating the foil with matches below, heroin would be evaporated. With a dollar note folded into a pipe, we would inhaled it by chasing the smokes, literally speaking.

Knowing the danger I was in, getting from bad to worst, one of my friends persuaded me to kick the habits. After much thoughts, I gave it a try. Everyday, I would be at his house, doing what youngsters should do. Initially, it was very very difficult. With his knowledge, I went to have a few puffs, few times a day. Not knowing that I was in my rehabilitation stage, my mum got winds that I was taking drugs, wanted me to swear before God that I have got nothing to do with it. I refused and she threatened to sever our mother's and child's relationship. As times passed by, I managed to cut down on the number of puffs. Finally, I freed myself on drugs dependency.

Six months later, narcotic officers from the Central Narcotic Bureau came to my house, inviting me to go for urine test. Test result proved negative and I was cleared. Even today, I still have childhood friends who were still in Drug Rehabilitation Centre. Released after a few years, they were detained for the same offences less than two months of civilian life. These have been going on for the past thirty years for them. Their lives were totally destroyed by drugs.

I was lucky to break myself freed from drugs. I am now an ordinary folk, earning an honest living with a family I called my own.