Lanie Murphy

Addiction Has No Face

“You DO know you could be facing a felony heroin charge, right?” I nodded my head, handcuffed to a cold concrete bench as the officer talked to me. How did I end up here? It was December 23rd, 2017, and I was 17 years old, high, sitting in the booking area of the county jail mid-afternoon. Just 4 years prior I had been a straight-A student, an athlete, a babysitter, a loving sister and upstanding daughter. And here I was, facing a felony heroin charge staring at the bag of drugs and paraphernalia they had found in my bedroom just an hour before. I wish I could say that this story is made up, but it is my reality. My story is a long one, and the events leading up to this very moment are a tale for another time. However, I ask that you bear with me... I will explain addiction from an addict’s perspective.