My mother also slipped me doses of her prescribed medication. In the 1960s, speed was the preferred drug of white, middle-aged housewives. She gave me one-quarter of a tablet known as truenal (I have not been able to find it on any discontinued list) to clean the house from top to bottom. I can remember staying awake all night and going to school the next morning. When I left home, I vowed to never take another mood-altering substance — until I turned twenty-nine years old. A series of life events left me depressed and I reached out to partake of a drug I felt would help elevate my mood. This started an eighteen-year cycle of addiction. I went inpatient five times and participated in countless outpatient therapy groups. Then in 2008, I had an encounter with the Divine and have not used since. Thank you for your honesty. Writing about this issue, we can offer hope to those hurting under the iron fist of addiction.