Death Sentence

I'm addicted to opioids, and the Ford government is about to shut down my safe injection site. I don't believe I'll survive without it

- CHRIS HALLS

I GREW UP IN SCARBOROUGH in the '70s, the eldest son of loving, hard-working parents. My father assembled vans at GM, and my mother was an administrator at a music label. Neither of them ever touched drugs, but my life followed a different path.

My troubles began in first grade, when two teachers sexually assaulted me at school. They chose me, a quiet and withdrawn child, knowing I would stay silent. For years, I carried my painful secret, never telling anyone. But inside I was crumbling.

At 16, I discovered a way to numb the pain. My first experience with drugs was at a house party. I drank a six-pack of beer and smoked some hash. While others fell asleep, I kept drinking and smoking until there was nothing left. By the time I graduated high school, I was drinking daily. I promised myself I'd stay away from hard drugs, but six months later, I tried crack cocaine. After that first euphoric rush, I was hooked. The drug made me feel invincible, and I began using it regularly.

In 1999, when I was 28, I started dating a woman named Nikita. We decided to move to Sudbury for a fresh start. Our daughter was born the next spring, followed by our son two years later. But even the joys of fatherhood couldn't quiet my cravings. I started taking opioids, and the drug's grip over me was immediate and fierce. It transformed me into someone I barely recognizedangry and dangerous. When our money ran out, I started robbing gas stations to pay for drugs.