Episodes of Addiction: An Afro-American Autobiography

Episodes of Addiction is an autobiographical narrative that recounts the life-long journey of an Afro-American predisposed to diverse addictions—some of which were detrimental, while others were beneficial. This has led to a life of extreme cultural and social shifts, resulting in social statuses that were both prosperous and disparaging.

As in any typical autobiography, these writings are arranged in a chronological sequence covering a historical timeline of 70 years, and incorporates my involvement in several major U.S. cities including: Philadelphia, New York, San Francisco, Oakland and Denver. Born as a pre baby boomer, I lived through World War II, the Cold War, the Counter Culture Movement, the Cult Explosion, the Civil Rights Movement, and participated in the recent era of burgeoning technological innovations. During the post war years, I witnessed the swell of blacks in the inner city, as whites retreated to the outskirts and suburbs. As an Afro-American, I had motivated myself to overcome this ethnic and cultural shift, so as not to become overwhelmed and succumb to an impending life of adverse circumstances.

During my lifetime my social status has ranged from a middle-class nerd, who contributed to the betterment of society, to a homeless low-life addict and offender that leeched on society. As an addict, I can attest that the death of other excessive indulgers was not enough to deter me from continuing habitual use. Prior to reaching my current deliverance, I had to undergo substantial times of frustration that included social dejection and economic upheavals. In addition, during traumatic times, my mental state was insufficient to ward off immoral influences, despite a solid belief system predicated on Christian doctrine.

As I waivered during my dedicated participation in the Christian community, I slipped into a backslidden state because of my over indulgence with drugs. As a result, I sank into a seedy sub-culture that involved a troubled life of despair, deception, and lawlessness. This further resulted in my defection to the dark side, and eventually dealing drugs to support my habit.

As will be discerned from these writings, I was extremely shy as a youth—a trait that caused me to pursue alcohol as a form of acquiring boldness. My awareness of the disadvantages of such an attitude motivated me to overcome this characteristic during my early adulthood. In addition, I reveal my type “A” personality—a characteristic that has been defined to cause compulsive behavior—a trait that remains with me till this day.

In addition to drug using and dealing, some significant accounts from my memoirs include: 1) laboring in the hi-tech industry; 2) ministering as a cult buster; 3) entertaining as a musician; 4) ballroom dancing; 5) associating with the mob; 6) being suspected as a counter-revolutionary; and 7) dealing drugs.

Since this book was written from a Christian perspective, when communicating social situations involving sex, violence, cursing, vile dialogue, and disparaging ethnic remarks, I limit my narrative to a language that is not too offensive, yet descriptive enough to present an accurate depiction of the situations.

The stories included here are all based on true events; however, like a typical movie script, a dispersal of fictitious incidents of drama and humor has been appended for amusement.