by Lynn Smith

I grew up in a small, rural town in Pennsylvania. It’s one of those places where everyone knows your name, what you did, what you ate and so on. They certainly knew me – I was a straight-A student involved in many school activities. I was one of the popular kids, liked by all the different crowds, involved in homecoming, regularly cast in school theater productions. Drugs never played a part in my life. They were never a question – I was too involved and focused on other things.

I always dreamed of moving to New York City to study acting and pursue a career in theater. My dream came true when my mom brought me to the city to attend acting school. As you can imagine, it was quite a change from home.

I was exposed to new people, new ideas and a completely new way of life – a way of life that exposed me to drugs. Most of the people that I met and spent time with in acting school had already been doing drugs for years. I guess I felt that by using drugs, I would become a part of their world and it would deepen my friendships with them to new levels. I tried pot, even a little Cocaine , but it was Ecstasy that changed my life forever.

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Story originally published by CheckYourself.com