My Black Album

I’m Royalty, I’m a film star, I’m a soldier, I’m a priest, politician, policeman, criminal and a fool. I’m old, I’m young, I’m black and I’m white. I’m a man, I’m a woman, I’m a child and I’m poor. I’m everyone, I’m no-one, I’m something and I’m real but I’m - not - dead - yet. Around 1983, I gingerly/obliviously/ignorantly/naively entered the world of some classical illegal drugs after already being involved with some classical legal drugs and thus began a repetitive and self-destructive pattern that lasted decades. I’m not proud of some of the things I’ve taken or done but I’m not denying nor trying to hide it either. These things have to be talked about. Sacrifices must be made. Scores must be settled. Tears must be shed. It takes courage to be honest, especially to friends and family, even more so than with strangers but, where stigma leads, hypocrisy usually follows and nobody wants that. So here’s a classic: there are no short cuts in life and drugs only trick you into thinking there are. So here is a list of legal and illegal drugs listing what I knew about them before I got involved with (some) of them and what I have learned since.