A drug addict's journey to new life (8)

（People's Daily Online）  09:07, June 07, 2013  

Edited and translated by Huang Jin, People's Daily Online

Wang Qing (pseudonym), 29, could have a beautiful life with wife, child and a house. However, he lost everything after he touched katamine three years ago.

On the day when we met Wang, he had been in Chongqing rehab center for a year. He would like to tell us his story to warn people to stay away from the drug.

He was successful in other people's eyes

Wang does not look like a drug addict. With glazing eyes and sunken cheeks, he looks very strong with warm smile as always.

After graduating from marketing department of a university in Chongqing, he began to do tobacco wholesale business. In four years, he bought a house, a car and had 300,000 yuan (about $40,000) of deposit in bank. He had a girl friend who had been with him since university. They planned to get married on Oct. 10, 2010.

Life changes due to drug

In 2009, Wang tasted katamine for the first time at a party with his friends.

"I was young and conceited. I did realize it was wrong. But I was afraid of losing face in front of the friends if I didn't dare to taste it."

Since then, Wang's life took a dramatic change. From ketamine to heroin, the drug expense increased from hundreds of yuan to thousands of yuan a day. In order to raise money for drug, Wang used up all his deposit, and sold his house. He lost the interest to take care of his business.

Finally Wang was found positive for drug test by police and was sent to Chongqing rehab center for compulsory isolation detoxification.

At first his girl friend visited him once a month and promised that she would wait till Wang came back. But a year later, she decided to break up with him.

"I felt really desperate at the moment. But I understand her choice," he said.

He hopes to begin new life

Now Wang has stopped taking drug for more than a year and he would be discharged from the rehab center very soon. He said that the first thing he would do after leaving the center was to call his girl friend.

"I've changed. I need a new start," said Wang. It is also the hope of all the drug addicts.