I HAD JUST SCORED HEROIN off the B-man the other day and was buying cyder from the corner shop when I ran into Crackhead of the Century, who took up haranguing me for £1 for cigarettes. I said I couldn't afford it; then he said he'd give me a bit of rock for £1, so I caved in. He introduced me to his latest fast friend, some Polish guy who thinks that because he's been piping "white" for a week, a simple "hello" is beyond him then I said "where are we going to smoke this?" and he lead us to an address I'd already clocked as a crackhouse very near to my own. He also asked where I lived now, I gave totally false directions!
So we approach this house, rather than knocking, crackhead just slams at the front door and it pops open directly (almost like my old house, though at least this had some semblance of a "lock"). People from downstairs start slagging him off over some previous encounter but one joins our fray, so there's now Crackhead, Pole a deranged black woman and me.
He charges upstairs and, breaking another dooor open takes us into a back upstairs flat. Everyone sits down. I really needed the loo as I'd been imbibing cyder all afternoon. The bathroom appeared locked and I pointed out someone might have been in there but no-one could be bothered.
Crackhead took a huge draw on a pipe. Dished out a bit for me. Everyone else was smoking by the time I realized that not only could I not use the loo but the door was barricaded by a chair and Crackhead was talking paranoid nonsense about someone "standing behind" me (no-one was there). This was too much like a scene from a seedy movie throwing the chair out of the way I left, crack in hand. Crackhead went all aggressive on me for daring to do what I wanted: most people seem to be pretty pliant around him, I've no idea why as he's just scum.
Got home and the food I'd put on was overboiling, smoking etc. Knew I should've been out of there! Had a sweet sweet hit of heroin-crack on HIM (not as if he didn't owe me from times past past past...)
... and so on.
Then I decided to be all frugal and sanctimoniously not using anything at all and had such miserable time I could barely get out of bed. As a result my book has gone no further than it was as of that last post... It's well past sundown, Friday night. Have a cheery weekend y'all!
Cuckoos in the Crackhouse: click here to see how evil dealers take advantage of the vulnerable to turn their flats into crackhouses and see innocents turfed out on the streets (I've seen this happen twice 1st hand!)
That sounds like an bad day to me and dangerous too :( I really wish there was just some sort of magic wand to wave at you that would take this addiction of yours away. Life is too short man.
ReplyDeleteOh Gleds I hate reading this. I just wish like the previous commenter that I had a magic wand to make you better. :(
ReplyDeleteHoly cow Gledwood. That's a scene well beyond my experience. So much negativity surrounds that Crackhead character. Bad for the body and soul. Now that you've got that out of your system... back to the book. Motivation willing that is.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a story from an Irvine Welsh book, which is never a good sign. I'm really glad that nothing bad happened to you.
ReplyDeleteGawd Gleds, half your problem is the people you hang around! One drug at a time mate! So I take it the methadone program is just not working? I thought it was meant to replace drugs, not complement them? You be careful now that you don't become one of these vulnerables so abused by crack dealing cuckoos! (Thanks for sharing, it's terrifying what you get up to.)
ReplyDeleteThese types of situations are exactly why I am in favour of city council and the government arranging plans for heavy drug users as they do in Frankfurt. I've told you before about one of my best friends who has been a heroin user since we were 15. He's been through a lot over the years, but the city of Frankfurt has a program and he can live like a human being again because they provide him with clean heroin daily at a safe place where he also has access to medical care and counseling. He has a lovely apartment and has worked for many years now. At the moment he is finishing studies to become a "Bank-Kaufmann". If only London would get their shit together and realise how beneficial such a thing would be. It only discourages drug dealers, it discourages theft and every other nastiness involved and quite frankly, everyone deserves to live like a decent human being and be helped.
ReplyDeleteI had a friend who would put away all the dishes from the table and counter after a couple of rocks so no one could hide under them to spy on him.
ReplyDeletePlease don't play with the fire ! Drink your cider in another area and try to avoid such people. It's not good for you, and you know it ! Think of your book !
ReplyDeleteReeny: I know
ReplyDeleteAkelamalu: ditto
Molson: cheers. Crackhead is someone I avoid like the plague but despite having moved over 2 miles from my old house I STILL bump into him. he ranges from our borough to the west end you cannot avoid the scumball
Lucinda: o no! it was just round the corner from my house (as if THAT was gonna keep me safe:...!)
Baino: I'm not going to be a cuckoo: I NEVER let ANYONE in my new place save 1 selected person who has only been ONCE
ReplyDeletemethadone is meant to be a heroin "replacement" only it does NOT replace it
hence it doesn't work as it supposedly should
there are zillions of other possible treatments just not put in use
governments are CRAP for not using solutions that WORK
Nicole: I'm all with you. Our borough DOES give diamorphine to ONE client. They won't do it for me (I've asked). I think they're crap.
You know heroin is prescribed FREQUENTLY to those in severe pain over here, so it's no big jump to give it to addicts. The govt is just CRAP
Walker: ooo dear. having been on a 2month binge on it i know how where he's coming from
Gattina: i'm trying, i promise
{%-/...
I agree with what all the others say.. you deserve a much better life :-(
ReplyDeleteGled, I really think you have brains enough to prevent situations like these mate. You really need to take more care of yourself and that cooker of yours...
ReplyDeleteSally ~ hmmm. I know. He says quietly.
ReplyDeleteVincent ~ Yeah I know but I didn't expect to be bumping into Crackhead of the Century in the corner shop, did I?... and 1ce he offered me a pipe...
Hi Gledwood,been following your blog the last few weeks so thought I'd say a quick hello *waves*
ReplyDeleteI'm also of the opinion that methadone isn't really a solution to the problem, where I live (Glasgow) methadone is increasingly being used as a solution in much the same way it has been in Edinburgh, indeed, addiction teams have done away with all attempts at a "cure" ( I use the term loosely and their ethos is now harm reduction. Out of interest, what do you think would be the best way of helping someone in your situation?
Take care