Heroin

It seems as of late that every time I turn around another kid is dieing from a heroin overdose or as it is called on the street a “hot pack” (cut with another drug usually prescription). My son now 34 still dealing with his demons and drug issues, his drug of choice was crack. (I’m saying was because I am raising his daughter. When she came into my home 10 years ago I couldn’t allow him to be a part of our lives until he was straight. He still isn’t straight and the last information I got which is about a year old is that he was arrested in Mississippi for operating a Meth Lab. I’m assuming his drug of choice changed.) Now it’s my nephew, he is a heroin addict and is fighting the battle to get clean. It seems that 2 weeks is the maximum he is able to stay straight. He is currently in Drug Court, which is an alternative to prison, and is battling for his life. His last relapse was on Monday and I feel he was reaching out to me and I let him down. He told me he thought that it was a good night for a dirt nap that all anyone would have to fight about is his clothes and bed. I told him laughingly that he wasn’t going to leave me to work alone and let it go.

I know I can’t blame myself and that I have to detach from the situation just like I had to with my own son. It’s not easy you or I always feel that I could have done more to help. This is my sister’s only child; if anything happens to him she will be destroyed. I remember that every time my son was in jail it was a relief that he had a roof over his head, food and was straight.

I don’t know how we can help our children find a better life. I have a 20-year-old daughter that lives at home, works and goes to school in the last month she has lost 6 acquaintances to heroin. This is white middle-class families it is affecting.

Unemployment

50 Best Jobs for Your PersonalityI am 55 years old and have been actively looking for a job for 3 years. I find myself is a very difficult situation. I am a single parent still raising my granddaughter who is 11 and my 20 year old daughter in college. Being low income (very low I work one day a week as a bookkeeper) has an advantage when it comes to my daughter's education, she more than qualifies for a grant and my granddaughter has state health insurance which is the best.

The company I where I worked for 13 years like so many went out of business and being over 50 makes the competitions very stiff. On an average I send out 10 resumes per week and apply personally for 3 to 5 jobs per week. Generally speaking I am over qualified for the job at hand. My second problem in my job search is that I have to make money enough to take over the programs that we qualify as a low income family.

Last fall I decided I would check to see if I qualified for a grant to go back to school, I am eligable for a student loan. Now I'm faced with what happens if I go to school and still can't get a job how do I pay the loan back.

At a younger age I would just go for it, now I'm not sure how to approach it. I do have to make a living and not making a living certainly doesn't do anything for the self esteem. So to date I am still filling out applications, sending resumes and praying alot.