The opportunity to interview Ricky, a husband and father of three, who is also using and dealing drugs was incredible!  Ricky came to us!  He was participating in a local drug recovery support group.  There, he met a local public official who was sitting in on one of the sessions earning credits toward his Master’s degree.  The two struck up a relationship.  Then, a few months ago, in November, Cabell County held its second annual drug summit.  About 100 local law enforcement officers, social service workers, school and health professionals gathered in Huntington to talk about the drug problems in this community and real solutions.

Ricky saw the coverage of that summit and contacted his new friend telling him he wanted to share his story.  That’s how this all started.

First of all, let me say, we certainly don’t agree with Ricky’s lifestyle.  He’s willingly engaging in dangerous, illegal activity.  However, the opportunity to hear about this culture gave us the chance to maybe help those considering getting involved with drugs.  We’re not in the business of glorifying drug use, but Ricky’s story offers a glimpse at just how un-glamorous this lifestyle really is.

We interviewed Ricky in his home.  He and his wife were there to greet us.  Ricky is only 30, but the years of hard living were evident.  He looks considerably older.  We sat down not sure what he wanted to talk about, how much he would share and how we would proceed.  But, before we got a chance to tackle that, he told us he didn’t want to be identified.  Because of his illegal activity, he was concerned about other people recognizing him.  However, he didn’t want his voice distorted and didn’t care if we used his first name—pretty liberal restrictions!

I started the interview on a basic note.  The first question I ask at the beginning of Part 1 was the first question of the interview.  Everything I asked, he answered without reservation.  It didn’t take long before I realized I was participating in a rare event—an up close and personal, in-depth conversation with a drug dealer!  What we thought would be a quick, 15-20 minute interview turned into a 40 minute exposé.  He talked about everything from the savage effects years of drug use have had on his body to his life as a dealer and why he’s having a hard time quitting both.

His wife sat nearby and listened to the entire interview.  Then, she agreed to an interview!  It was a really compelling conversation with a woman fighting to care for her husband who’s addicted to drugs, care for their children (including a newborn) and live with his drug dealing activities.  Ricky’s wife struck me as a very sharp, well-spoken, quiet woman.  I could tell she was a woman who loved her children and her husband and was fighting to keep her family together despite the terrible circumstances all are living in.  I asked her some really tough questions and she answered them.  You can see that interview in Part 3 of “Dying for Drugs”.

Probably the most interesting thing that happened during the interview was when the older two children, ages 5 and 8, came home from school.  There were times they sat in on parts of the interview with mom and dad and the parents said nothing about it!  I was a little disturbed by that and even asked the wife about it.  She said the children know what goes on and the family keeps no secrets.  Ricky and his wife talk about the effects all of this has had on the children throughout Parts 1-3.

I hope these pieces open some eyes and change some attitudes about the devastating effects drugs can not only have on the individual, but also their loved ones.  I also hope Ricky gets the critical help he needs to not only cut back on his activities, as he claims he’s doing, but cut them out altogether.