My name is Shirley. I’m originally from South Carolina but moved to New York City when I was young. I’m always kind and try to be a person others can come and talk to. I’m a Virgo so people tend to take my kindness as a weakness (but you shouldn’t).
I’ve been coming to Alliance LES Harm Reduction Center since 2001 when they were on Avenue B, and then on Allen Street. Harm reduction is a huge part of my life because whenever I’m feeling good, bad, or sad, that community makes me feel valued. I value being trained and knowing how to help someone you see overdose. Coming here helps me decide not to use. And when I needed to use, I came here for sterile syringes. And sometimes just coming in here made me think I didn’t need to use right away, after all.
I started using crack, cocaine, and heroin almost 30 years ago, and my relationships with those drugs were problematic. But they’ve been very hard to stop, of course.
I’m very independent by nature, so it can be hard to find community that engages me. CHOICES, and specifically arts and crafts projects that we do here, is helping me find things to focus on. Crack/cocaine is more of a mental thing, keeping your mind active makes me crave it less. Coming here, I can now go longer without using crack/cocaine. That’s what helps me the most here: therapy plus arts and crafts. Getting lessons and refreshers on how to deal with life. We do 50% of the work here, and that supports me after I leave this space.