1/2 Cris came into contact with hard drugs and looked completely different within a year (Photo via Cris Rodriquez)
Cris Rodriquez from Beek en Donk was bullied at school. Within one year he went from trying a joint to using and dealing hard drugs. He lost almost everything. Now he has kicked the habit and a documentary has been made about him. No matter how dark and dark life with a hard drug addiction is, there is always a way to escape. That is the hopeful message he hopes to convey to other young people struggling with addiction. And it is an appeal to parents, schools, police and care providers.
Cris is now a fit 28-year-old, but at primary school he was a chubby boy and was bullied. His parents separated. The family was not really close and feelings were not discussed. If something went wrong, Cris was told. But a compliment was rare. Except when Cris’ father saw the new documentary. “He cried, gave me a hug and said he was proud of me. I thought, what is happening to me now?”
When Cris was 13, he made friends through the football club. They were boys and girls who also had problems at home. “They were rough, tough and popular. We hung out on the street. I was always outside anyway.”
“Blowing gave me a nice feeling, it gave me peace”
And then there was that big bag of weed. Costs: 35 euros. “I don’t remember the feeling of the first joint. I’ve had so many. But smoking cannabis gave me a nice feeling, it gave me peace, I filled the void.”
Then there was speed. “We tried it and were up all night. The first time I didn’t feel anything, but the second time I did. Things quickly went up a step, I moved past the shame, I was no longer shy and I could also concentrate very well.”
From two joints a day to speed. Not even a year passed. “It happened so quickly.” Cris overslept. “If I didn’t have school for the first two hours, the reception had to wake me up. When my parents divorced, I simply reported it to the education officer. I was very manipulative.”
Speed, XTC, ketamine, GHB and meow, Cris used it all. The quiet boy who was bullied at school became a drug dealer at the age of 16 to support his habit. “I visited families to buy my drugs. Very normal people in normal homes who did not use anything themselves.”
The addiction went from bad to worse. “I saw things that weren’t there. I once spent a whole night scraping my bed with a card because I thought the little textile balls on my bed were speed. It was crazy.”
Cris fell asleep while eating a sandwich when he came home from work. He woke up again the next day. With his face in the sprinkles. “I cried every morning because it became so hopeless. You just don’t know what to do with yourself.”
“One line and everything collapses again”
Cris stole from his family. And got into debt. Then he turned to the welfare organization LEV group in Helmond. They quickly realized that Cris was addicted. “It is very difficult to tell the truth, you think you have no problem.”
Cris went to rehab in Vught. That was easier than he thought. Now he has a whole network of supporters around him, from administrator to kickboxing trainer. “You can’t do this alone. My motivation is high. One line and everything collapses again. A relapse is death for me.”
Cris hopes to give something back with the documentary. “I want to break the taboo. I want to take away the unfamiliarity. See you have a problem. You are not alone. Be honest with yourself. I couldn’t lie to myself anymore.”
The documentary about Cris was commissioned by the LEV group and will premiere on YouTube, among others, on March 7.
You can see the trailer here:
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