My life used to be centered on me — my happiness, my world. Because I was the youngest and the only boy in the family, I was spoiled, lived recklessly, and did everything on a whim. My high school life was a complete mess. I was branded a bad influence, but that only challenged me to live a more adventurous life. At 13, I was smoking, having premarital sex, and dating girls left and right. Everything just seemed cool.
By 17, my desire for more adventure got me into the crazy world of drugs, and I became heavily addicted. When I wasn’t using drugs, I was selling drugs just so I could support my own addiction. It was a perfect cycle! When the pill “ecstasy” was introduced, I got a good source that allowed me to sell thousands of pesos’ worth of these pills every weekend. Life could not have been any better!
But all that stopped when in February 2000, I was set up by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and got busted! My world crumbled as I was brought to Camp Crame, blindfolded and in fear for my life.
In the days that followed my arrest, there was a media frenzy. PDEA reported to have caught the first and biggest drug dealer of ecstasy! My name was everywhere, and worse, my parents and family experienced deep shame and humiliation. That bothered me for a time, but because of family connections, instead of time in prison, I got away with seven months of rehab instead.
This suddenly made me feel untouchable. I found myself going back to using, selling, and buying drugs all over again. Although the authorities were keeping a close eye on me, they never suspected my involvement with drugs again. But it was not so with my family. Read the rest of this entry »
