X describes himself as “being pretty innocent” when it comes to his first introduction to drugs. He said that as a student attending ECU, he was introduced to marijuana. Soon after his recreational pot usage, he was introduced to cocaine, which he described as “getting out of hand.” His opioid use came some years later as a result of having a herniated disc in his back. He said that his doctor at that time didn’t have any reservation about writing prescription pain pills. It started out with scripts of 90, and eventually he was taking 320 Oxycodone tablets a month! His back kept him in constant pain. He knew that he had a problem with cocaine, but eventually realized that his opioid use was getting out of control. Eventually, he dropped out of ECU and joined a police force in a city in the east. Eventually, he left law enforcement, which he said kept him a bit restrained when it came to oxy use. However, giving law enforcement up meant that he had few restraints when it came to his drug use.

After a while, he was able to avoid taking oxy in an effort to get himself clean. Unfortunately, “a guy I use to run with,” said, “I know you are having this horrible back pain try this.” It was a bag of fentanyl. He states that he really did not know what he was getting into. He said that he didn’t notice much of a high until he ran out and tried to quit. Upon calling his supplier to ask him what he had been taking, the supplier said, “welcome to the party.” X said he still didn’t know how to use it nor take it. He said that, “the only thing I knew is if I took it I wasn’t sick and in pain.” He said eventually he built up a tolerance, and that plus unresolved emotional issues from his past cemented his need for the drug. For a while he drove trucks long distance. He talks about buying enough to hold him for a two-week run. If he was unable to stockpile, he would search for it wherever he was.

Eventually, he became connected to the justice system due to behaviors associated with his addiction. Somewhere around 2021 he overdosed. For all intents and purposes, he claimed that he was about dead. EMS and the sheriff tried to get him to go to the hospital. He refused. They warned him not to drive, but no sooner than they left he got in his car scouting drugs. They were waiting and he was arrested. This encounter led to traffic charges, eluding arrest charges, heroin in his vehicle, and drug paraphernalia with an intent to distribute. He says that he was so locked into these behaviors while he was waiting for his cases to go through the court. Yet he was still using. He mentions going to see his parole officer and falling out during the meeting. One of the things that he regrets is that while he was in jail, his father passed away. His family was so frustrated with his life that they didn’t inform him until four months after his father died.

X ascribes his success to a lot of factors over the last couple of years. High on his list was meeting the Reentry Participant Navigator while at PCDC. The Navigator taught a class and told the inmates how they should look up the Pitt CC Reentry Program upon release. Getting out of jail, he was destitute with no place to stay and no clothes on his back. He claims that immediately upon showing up at the Center he felt a warmth among the staff. Their only desire was to see he and the other participants succeed. Tops on his list of motivators is Trudy Halstead, the Lic. Substance Abuse Counselor for PCC Reentry. Even though he has finished his program, he still has sessions with Ms. Halstead, which helps to keep him grounded. Currently, X is attending Pitt CC and is in the pre-nursing program. He has his driver’s license back and is working at McDonald’s, where he has been made a shift leader. He sees this job as a means to an end, but he is grateful and feels blessed to have it.