02/25/2024
Had quite the humbling moment the other day. I just came home from doing a six-year prison sentence in November. While I was in prison I worked in the kitchen and the COs loved me because I actually worked my ass off. I stole a lot of food, but I worked hard enough that they let it slide. But after a girl I loved more than life itself died from an overdose and I found out by reading the newspaper, I lost the will to work. I didn't want to be there, but it being NC and slavery being legal for the incarcerated, this CO had me locked up for sleeping at work. I did 38 days in the hole for sleeping in the kitchen, despite her knowing what was going on with me. I went to the hole, came back, got high a bunch, and ended up getting caught with some suboxone in the mail system and I ended up going to the hole for an entire year. COVID happened while I was in the hole, and when I got out of seg, it was a whole new world. When I got out, I went back to work in that kitchen. And a week into work after a year in the hoke, she wrote me up for not wearing a mask. I blanked out, flipped a cart of trays over, called her a c**t, and back to the hole I went for another 30 days. Threatening staff, destruction of state property, and cursing.
Fast forward 4 years. Here I am, 4 months sober, just did my 4th and 5th steps last week. I'm also taking a peer support specialist class at a particular residential peer-based rehab program. And I'm in class today and I see this woman. The CO. And I said her name, surprised to see her. And she was even more surprised to see me. Her eyes were as big as saucers. I could tell it kinda freaked her out but I was cool. I asked her if she was working there and she said nope, she was a resident.
And this spun me for a loop. And a few months ago I would have rejoiced in this. Relished in the fact of how the mighty have fallen and that she went from kitchen officer to homeless alcoholic. But it didn't have that effect. It just brought home how indiscriminate this disease really is.
Addiction doesn't care what color you are, where you're from, what job you had, or how much authority you wielded.
It takes you down just the same.
I said I was glad to see she was getting help and let her know that it does in fact get better, one day at a time.