Looking back now, it almost feels like my life has been lived in chapters, some bright and filled with hope, others dark and weighed down by choices that nearly destroyed me. Before substance abuse became part of my life, I was like anyone else, navigating through the ups and downs of youth, trying to find my place in the world, hungry for belonging and acceptance. At that time, I did not know how vulnerable I was, nor how the desire to escape reality, even for a moment, would lead me down a path I never imagined.