By Mona Lisa Tucker/south news editor
Street and prescription drug abuse has been a major problem in the U.S. and abroad for many years.
It does not matter if people are rich, poor or somewhere in between.
If desperate enough, they find a way to acquire what they desire.
For instance, I have family members who don’t own anything but are addicted to several types of drugs and sedatives and can somehow obtain them on a daily basis.
One day, my sister revealed to me that she had taken so many pills she was rushed to a hospital and almost died.
Words cannot express my anger and dismay considering our eldest brother had already died from an overdose on Sept. 6, 2005. He was only 41.
The moment I received that call is still fresh in my mind like it happened yesterday.
For months, I cried every night because all the potential he possessed to change died with him. He would never have another chance to make things right.
Among the few words his then-13-year-old daughter said at his funeral were, “I barely knew my father.”
My niece’s last memory of my brother was him in a casket, dead for no good reason.
I, too, experimented with a few drugs, which soon got out of hand and threatened to take me out of this game called life.
However, more than 16 years ago, I accepted Jesus Christ as my savior and began fighting the good fight of faith by knowing myself and avoiding potential traps and pitfalls.
My legacy to my children and grandchildren is very different now, and I am determined to remain focused and never give in or up.
It is very important that people know their weaknesses and trigger points. This is the only way people can gain victory in their battle to free themselves from life-altering and deadly substances.
One youth pastor said, “Show me your friends, I’ll show you your future.
