traceyh415

The fan is whir-whir-whiring. The slow breeze is traversing the room, hitting my toes. I have them sticking out of the sleeping bag. I am overheated. I am cold. I am stuck to the bed. The springs of the mattress are poking into my leg. I reflexively turn my body away from the light. A passing car is illuminating my predicament. It's 2:35 am. I feel myself slightly sticking against the plastic sheet. It's the kind they use for the kids that wet the bed. There is condensation slipping down the window pane. There is a little snore a few feet away from my head.

As an educated young woman, there were many things I imagined for my future. I was a nerdy, mostly chubby school girl that walked out of high school with idea I was going to make it in the world. Never did I imagine that I would spiral into an entirely different life. With a copy of a book by Dorothy Parker tucked under one arm and my Walkman in the other, I moved out of my parents' house just shy of my 18th birthday. I had always been overweight and awkward, the center of negative attention. When I drank those first few beers of freedom, I felt relieved of these burdens,My parents, while sympathetic, had no idea how to deal with cycles of eating and chronic depression. In some ways, I was ahead of my time. I was a cutter before I even knew that was something other girls did when they needed relief. I discovered binging and puking with the help of a school friend. I also knew about laxatives and over the counter diet pills. I would spend hours reading books, watching mo...

2018 is slowly coming to a close. Let's start with the positives. Overdose deaths have fallen for six months in a  row . I know the Trump Administration wants to take credit for this number but I suspect the record will show this is linked to a combination of factors: The rise of fentanyl test strips, the expansion of MAT, the diligent efforts of outreach workers, overall awareness of overdose, and the expansion of access to naloxone. Regardless of any short term decreases, these numbers are still in the tens of thousands. In addition, deaths related to stimulants are creeping up to 10,000 people per year. In other words, much more work needs to be done. Work we can all do together. Secondly, mail based Harm reduction services have officially been approved in New York State with more on the way. Please visit my partner project Next Distro  here.  In 2019, I am going to pour all my personal and professional resources into expanding mail based Harm Reduction. Naloxone...