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Audrey fighting back tears as she talks about her 22 years old daughter that she has not seen in a couple of years. She talked about how she misses her. 

Rebuilding lives in Tennessee after job loss, pain pills and heroin

Scott Walker February 12, 2018

Imagine losing everything, battling an addiction and eventually living in the woods. That is basically what happened to Audrey and Steven. The loss of a job followed by pain pills which lead to heroin are just some of the details. 

Hear their story below (5MIN and 37SEC):

Steven walking back to the camp via the railroad tracks coming from town. 

“We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies. ”
— Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Above are photos from inside their campsite. 

In people, People, News Tags pain pills, heroin, addiction, methodone, homeless, Nashville, TN, Tennessee, Music City, people, street photography, life, Sony, Sony Alpha, Alpha, opioid
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From Prison to Recovery

Scott Walker February 8, 2018

A Murfreesboro man by the name of Dustin Keith Brown will be facing the courts on Friday in Rutherford County. However, he will be in court for a more positive reason. 

Brown, who already served time for three felony drug charges and maintaining a dwelling for the use of drugs, will be asking for a reduction in fees and fines. 

While in prison, Brown underwent drug treatment and spent 32 months behind bars. After being released he got a job and has been on the right track. 

“Everything I’ve ever let go of has claw marks on it. ”
— David Foster Wallace, writer
In News, People, people Tags recovery, addiction, people, life, Dustin Brown, Dustin Keith Brown, Murfreesboro, TN, Tennessee, prison, jail, painkillers, opiods, heroin, Scott Walker, black and white
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Addiction happens long before the injury

Scott Walker January 24, 2018

He sat quietly with his dog on a bridge over the bustling Las Vegas strip. Alone. His hat sat in front of his knee in hopes of those passing would drop a dollar to help him survive.

“I use to play professional poker,” he told me. As our conversation continued I realized it was not the poker that he lost to.

It was an accident that sent him to the hospital with a back injury. He then almost whispered as he told me that he was prescribed painkillers that he quickly grew addicted to. When the prescriptions ran out, the heroin began.

Methadone is his next step in life as he aims to get off of the heroin.

“My opinion: Opioid addiction happens because of previous trauma long before the injury that led to the prescription.”
— Scott Walker

Why do some grow addicted to drugs and alcohol while some do not? I do not know, but I can guess. That guess would be a previous trauma long before the injury.

The traumas could be any number of pains in life, from domestic violence to war. From child abuse to sex abuse. From witnessing a loved one murdered to watching a friend die a painful death. We all have our own trauma that we learn to medicate without proper help.

Once that medication wears off, the pain comes back greater than before. More detailed than first remembered. More real than reality.

“Numbing the pain for a while will make it worse when you finally feel it.”
— J.K. Rowling
In people, People Tags addiction, Las Vegas, street photography, black and white, Scott Walker, poker, Sin City, opioid, painkiller, heroin, homeless, life, struggle, struggles, Nevada
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Daniel's Heroin after the accident

Scott Walker December 11, 2017

He has been clean from heroin for 11 months now, but currently lives on the streets. However, the most positive part about his story is the fact that he is indeed clean.

Daniel lives in Murfreesboro and for the most part, keeps to himself. His first taste of heroin came a couple of years after a car accident.

It was the car accident that landed him on prescription pain pills. When the doctor stopped writing prescriptions for the pills, he said that he needed to continue… so he did, eventually with heroin.

Daniel’s Story (Below) 6 MIN and 50 SEC:

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

In people, People, News Tags Daniel, heroin, Methadone, meth, homeless, Murfreesboro, TN, Tennessee, Nashville, recovery, addiction, addict, God, Bible, Christian
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Pink Hair and Positive Goals

Scott Walker November 25, 2016

You can never judge a book by its cover or a man with pink hair and horns tattooed to his forehead for that matter, until you learn where he has been and the goals in life he has ahead of him.

Meet Robert who is currently homeless in Tennessee:

“I was born in Springfield, Tennessee,” he told me as we started to talk. Robert has been clean from Heroin and Meth since November 2, 2016.

I asked how expensive of a habit drugs were and he replied, “Meth is about $10 for a tenth of a gram – so $100 a gram - and Heroin, you’re looking at about $25 for a tenth.”

He then talked about the amount of heroin he used, “I spent about $60 to $80 a day on it and that won’t even keep me high all day.” You can shoot both heroin and meth into your veins with a needle or snort the drugs.

I asked if people on the street use dirty needles when shooting heroin or meth and he said, “I’ve seen it happen – them just rinse it out with water or even peroxide… Peroxide is not going to clean any disease out of a needle.”

Regardless of his past, he has big dreams of helping others in front of him… “I eventually want to go back to school,” he told me. “I want to be a social worker to help kids – like do a mobile crisis for children,” Robert explained. Helping children before their problems get too big to handle, is what he wants to do. Robert said that he has attempted suicide at least six times and stated, “I want to help children before they get to where I’ve been.”

He has a few tattoos that he no longer wants. One of those tattoos are the horns on either side of his forehead. “I got those this last year in the Coffee County Jail,” he said with a laugh. Someday, he would like to remove those along with the ink on his right and left fingers that read, “ZOOM ZOOM.” He got the nickname of ZOOM ZOOM from other drug users he called friends. “I got it whenever I was using meth a lot – I plan on getting this covered up one day,” he said with a smile.

A tattoo that he wants to get that will be a constant reminder of the need to stay sober is the date of 11-02-2016. “I’m gonna’ put it on my left wrist because I am left handed and every time I do something I’ll look down and be able to see it. I use to shoot up left handed.”

“How would your life be different if…You stopped making negative judgmental assumptions about people you encounter? Let today be the day…You look for the good in everyone you meet and respect their journey.” ― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

On a side note, I took the photo in front of a police car after he told me he has been in about half of the Murfreesboro Police cars in our city. :)

 

In People, people Tags homeless, people, Scott Walker, Tennessee, Murfreesboro, Fuji, X100s, FujuX, Nashville, poverty, Army, heroin, meth
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Heroin

Scott Walker October 31, 2016

He was sitting on a discarded Pepsi crate behind a gas station in downtown Nashville smoking a Pall Mall Cigarette and drinking a Bud Ice tall boy.

“I was clean for 22 months,” he told me while looking to the side as if he were afraid he would disappoint me. “I lost it though, lost my job and lost my truck that I worked for,” he said after telling me that he was addicted to heroin. As for a place to live, he lost that too because he was living with his sponsor who couldn’t risk his sobriety.

He told me that he overdosed on heroin one month ago and literally died. He was later revived after being transported to the hospital and given a second chance at this thing we call life.

Former CBS Reporter Dan Rather once did heroin for a story. He later stated, “I had someone at the Houston police station shoot me with heroin so I could do a story about it. The experience was a special kind of hell. I came out understanding full well how one could be addicted to 'smack,' and quickly.” 

In people, People Tags heroin, addict, homeless, Scott Walker, Nashville, Music City, people, life, Sony, Sony images, Street Photography, Sony Alpha
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This is a bad area

Scott Walker June 20, 2016

His home was the entryway of a closed down Atlanta business. “People are mean… we have had other homeless right down the street try to rob us,” he told me. While looking down he suggested, “This is a bad area.”

He is originally from California, but most recently lived in Nashville before his move to Atlanta. He came back to find his girlfriend whom is now on heroin, according to him. However, he no longer sees her because of the drug use.

“The gas station across the street won’t let me go in there anymore because I’m homeless,” he said with a frown. “And I bought a coke there every day.”

American author Wally Lamb once stated, “Human behavior in the midst of hardship caught my attention very early on, and my first stories were all pictures, no words.” 

In people, People Tags Atlanta, Georgia, homeless, people, heroin, life, Sony, mirrorless, street photography, Scott Walker, Sony A7SII
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She now has a smile

Scott Walker June 8, 2016

She was a mixture of smiles and tears as she left the dentist today. Stacy has been working with Dr. Jess Sinquefield, DDS in Murfreesboro for several weeks now on a dream that many of us take for granted... our teeth. Keep in mind she had no money for her dream, but Dr. Sinquefield made it a reality for her never expecting a single dime.

She is clean today, but in the past she was a heroin addict who lived on the streets of Nashville. She has slowly crawled out of that life and now lives in a motel with her significant other named Jonathan. She actually got off of heroin on her own while homeless, desperate to change. She has now been clean for about two years and never wants to turn back.

Jonathan and Stacy provide the motel management where they stay with maintenance and maid services in exchange for a room. While that may not sound glamorous, they are thankful for having employment and a roof over their head without any government assistance.

Today, Stacy is a new person with her teeth. The self-confidence that she lacked while on the streets has vanished, with a simple smile. Today, I noticed she was more confidence than ever.

She is now looking to make even bigger changes in her life with public speaking about heroin addiction, Suboxone addiction and a possible job change in the near future. Stacy and Jonathan also have goals of having an apartment and maybe even their very own vehicle. Of course, those are still dreams at this point, but I think it will happen.

She now has a smile!

"We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do." - Mother Teresa

Tags homeless, life, Sony, Sony A7SII, Scott Walker, Dr. Sinquefield, Murfreesboro dentist, Nashville dentist, heroin, suboxone, heroin addiction, suboxone addiction
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Heroin in a U.S. Veteran

Scott Walker October 20, 2015

He grasped my shoulder as he made his way down his front steps. He is usually in a wheelchair, but he wanted to walk outside on his own two feet. “I was once shot five times,” he told me as he pulled up his shirt to show me the scars.

We continued to talk and he continued to share stories about his past. “I was a heroin addict, but have been clean for a long time,” he said while rolling up his sleeves, “I have HIV from shooting up in the past.” 

He said that he was once ashamed of the fact that he has HIV, but now he does not mind sharing what was once painful because now it is simply a part of life that he has lived with since 1994.

I later realized that he served our country in combat while in the U.S. Army. I was standing before an aging Vietnam Veteran who shares a small apartment with several others. He came home from the foreign land with images that were likely unshakable which may have contributed to his past battle on U.S. soil with alcohol and Heroin. But, that battle is mostly behind him. Today, he battles balance, sight and age.

Pax Prentiss who opened Passages, a rehab center in Malibu, once wrote in the The Alcoholism and Addiction Cure, “Heroin was a coping mechanism that I had used to deal with my underlying fears. They were the real problems; heroin wasn't the culprit, my fears were.”

In people, People Tags heroin, Canon, veteran, Vietnam, Army, Scott Walker, Nashville
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Heroin addiction and recovery, then a miscarriage

Scott Walker October 17, 2015

I met with Stacy, a former Heroin addict yesterday and heard her story. I have known her for the past year and have had the pleasure of bringing her food from time to time and listening to her boyfriend pray over me in thanks for the food provided by Feed America First. 

“I remember the withdrawals,” she told me. “I could not get out of bed, I felt so sick until my friend brought me that needle,” her comments continued in describing Heroin. I asked, “Did you ever fear needles?” She told me that prior to her using on a regular basis she watched some of her friends use and said that she could not imagine using as much as they did. Before long, she was using Heroin just as much if not more. 

The Heroin use left her feeling sick when she was not on it to feeling perfect when she injected the chemicals from inside the needle. She was twisted in emotions and pain as she shot Heroin on a regular basis multiple times a day. From the time the drug entered her veins to the time it followed the twisted red rivers like a fish swimming to her brain, the pleasures were overwhelming yet short lived. 

When Heroin is used it makes the skin feel warm as it goes into the brain and gives Stacy a rush of intense pleasure. Her arms and legs would likely have felt heavy as the drug starts to work, her mouth dry. After the initial feeling wore off, it leaves you slightly nauseated and tired, sometimes itchy for several hours. Her mental state would have been clouded leaving her vulnerable to the elements of other drug abusers around her. Breathing and heart rate are slowed as the high turns into pain. But, the initial altering of emotions kept her coming back, along with the strong addiction that is tough to overcome without the use of medical care and medication. 

Today she is clean, but her struggles continue. About three days ago she had a miscarriage and is facing the aftermath of losing a child and the medical aftermath of that happening. But, she is living on the streets as opposed to recovering in a home and in a bed. In fact, all she has is a sleeping bag and a boyfriend to comfort her. 

As our talks continued she told me about the day she got clean from Heroin. Her mother was dying of cancer in Kentucky and insisted that she get help. Her mother said, “You are not going to die before I do, we are getting you help.” Her mom took her to get treatment and she was eventually prescribed Suboxone. 

According to one website, “Suboxone contains a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone. Buprenorphine is an opioid medication. An opioid is sometimes called a narcotic. Naloxone blocks the effects of opioid medication, including pain relief or feelings of well-being that can lead to opioid abuse. Suboxone is used to treat narcotic (opiate) addiction.” 

The battles continued for Stacy when she dropped her tortured romance with Heroin, but this time with a prescription medication intended for her to drop Heroin. It worked, but now she was addicted to another drug. She told me that while Heroin may be worse, it took her even longer to get off of Suboxone. 

Today she is clean, but living on the streets. She hopes to soon be approved for an apartment using her boyfriends voucher. Together, they will be able to slowly start over and build a new life off the streets. 

Stacy told me she would love to share her story with parents in our community and does not care about her appearance of being homeless – just as long as she can tell others about Heroin. If you would like her to speak before your church small group or family, let me know and we will make it happen. You allowing her to do that will be a huge step in her journey of rebuilding and healing.

In people, People Tags heroin, heroin addiction, Murfreesboro, Nashville, homeless, street photography, Canon, Mark III, 24-70 lens, Scott Walker
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Life can be beautiful, despite your circumstance

Scott Walker December 28, 2014

This beautiful woman has been homeless for over a year. Most of that time has been spent living behind an old Kroger store that is now an empty shell. Despite hardships, she told me some very positive news. She said she has been clean from Heroin for the past 7-years. She also said that she has been clean from Crack for the past 2-years and free from smoking cigarettes for the past month. I think that is worth celebrating. 

In people, People Tags crack, heroin, Fuji, XT1, 35mm, 100 strangers
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