we all have a certain idea of what drug
addiction looks like drug addicts said
the people you cross the street to avoid
are the ones your parents told you not
to talk to this image allows for
ignorant ignorance towards the reality
of our society the truth is drug addicts
aren’t those people they’re those
students snakes sitting next to you kids
working your class and Friends laughing
with you during lunch they’re the ones
that you text at 11:45 for help on that
one ap laying assignment are the ones
that you high-five after that physics
test because nothing you studied last
night was on it drug addicts are people
just like everyone else they’re brothers
sisters sons and daughters they’re
friends family teammates and peers
people like me I’ve been struggling with
substance use for about two years now
starting in the summer before my
freshman year at first I thought it was
just experimentation I was just a teen
that’s normal but I realized now that
maybe it wasn’t just experimentation it
most likely was a distraction or a
coping mechanism oftentimes it wasn’t
the hi that I was looking for I was
looking for something anything to
distract myself from my own thoughts
even after I would get caught this would
happen over and over again but at first
it was just fun it was something to do
with my friends it wasn’t until I lost
everything that was important to me that
I realized and it wasn’t fun or at least
not anymore but I still found myself
going out of my way trying to find
anything that I could get my hands on
and getting high alone even after I
would get caught the cycle would repeat
over and over again
this is what my therapist describes as a
key part of my substance use disorder
I’m seemingly incapable of stopping
regardless of the negative consequences
and trust me there’s been plenty of
consequences I’ve lost friends freedoms
and I’ve hurt my family and my family
will tell me that it needs to stop that
it needs to be over now and they’ll ask
me to promise this to them but I don’t
want to make a promise that I don’t
think I can keep or that I don’t know if
I can keep because most days I do want
to quit I do want to stop but then there
are other days I’ll end up finding
myself in a binge again and it’s not
like there’s a stressor or some event
that happens that causes me to go back
it’s just a normal day that ends on
another binge these binges will last
until I get caught again or until I run
out but even after that it’ll be a few
months or a week or two until I find
myself in another binge it’s extremely
frustrating knowing that I’m hurting the
ones that I care about but feeling
incapable of stopping it’s a constant
battle in my head between what I know is
good for me and what isn’t my name is
Piper I’m an AP and honourable student
I’m a multi-sport athlete and I’m
assistant at an art gallery I’m
passionate about astronomy and physics
and cooking but I’m also an addict now
when people find out this part of me
they’re often surprised I guess that’s
because I don’t quite seem like the
stereotypical addict
but there is no stereotypical addict
anyone can deal with substance use it
doesn’t matter your gender your
ethnicity your socioeconomic status
where you are who you are where you grew
up your religion what you believe in who
your family is anyone can be affected by
this so let me be very clear when I say
this finally drug addiction does not
exclude your demographic or anyone’s
[Applause]
addiction looks like drug addicts said
the people you cross the street to avoid
are the ones your parents told you not
to talk to this image allows for
ignorant ignorance towards the reality
of our society the truth is drug addicts
aren’t those people they’re those
students snakes sitting next to you kids
working your class and Friends laughing
with you during lunch they’re the ones
that you text at 11:45 for help on that
one ap laying assignment are the ones
that you high-five after that physics
test because nothing you studied last
night was on it drug addicts are people
just like everyone else they’re brothers
sisters sons and daughters they’re
friends family teammates and peers
people like me I’ve been struggling with
substance use for about two years now
starting in the summer before my
freshman year at first I thought it was
just experimentation I was just a teen
that’s normal but I realized now that
maybe it wasn’t just experimentation it
most likely was a distraction or a
coping mechanism oftentimes it wasn’t
the hi that I was looking for I was
looking for something anything to
distract myself from my own thoughts
even after I would get caught this would
happen over and over again but at first
it was just fun it was something to do
with my friends it wasn’t until I lost
everything that was important to me that
I realized and it wasn’t fun or at least
not anymore but I still found myself
going out of my way trying to find
anything that I could get my hands on
and getting high alone even after I
would get caught the cycle would repeat
over and over again
this is what my therapist describes as a
key part of my substance use disorder
I’m seemingly incapable of stopping
regardless of the negative consequences
and trust me there’s been plenty of
consequences I’ve lost friends freedoms
and I’ve hurt my family and my family
will tell me that it needs to stop that
it needs to be over now and they’ll ask
me to promise this to them but I don’t
want to make a promise that I don’t
think I can keep or that I don’t know if
I can keep because most days I do want
to quit I do want to stop but then there
are other days I’ll end up finding
myself in a binge again and it’s not
like there’s a stressor or some event
that happens that causes me to go back
it’s just a normal day that ends on
another binge these binges will last
until I get caught again or until I run
out but even after that it’ll be a few
months or a week or two until I find
myself in another binge it’s extremely
frustrating knowing that I’m hurting the
ones that I care about but feeling
incapable of stopping it’s a constant
battle in my head between what I know is
good for me and what isn’t my name is
Piper I’m an AP and honourable student
I’m a multi-sport athlete and I’m
assistant at an art gallery I’m
passionate about astronomy and physics
and cooking but I’m also an addict now
when people find out this part of me
they’re often surprised I guess that’s
because I don’t quite seem like the
stereotypical addict
but there is no stereotypical addict
anyone can deal with substance use it
doesn’t matter your gender your
ethnicity your socioeconomic status
where you are who you are where you grew
up your religion what you believe in who
your family is anyone can be affected by
this so let me be very clear when I say
this finally drug addiction does not
exclude your demographic or anyone’s
[Applause]
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