All
names have been changed to protect the storyteller. I have also withheld
locations, because of the smallness of the hometown
Follow Leonardo Tezcucano
Claire’s eyes look tired when she talks about her older
brother. His drug addiction wreaked havoc for years on their family and
although he is clean now, it was a long and rocky path to recovery.
Her brother, Brian, had been abusing drugs since he was
about 14.
“There was a difference in his mood and attitude and who he
was hanging out with changed,” she said.
They found out later he struggled with social anxiety and the drugs were
a way for him to connect with others. Claire
said he would try “anything and everything.”
“My brother smoked
pot for years,” she continued. “He had a very bad drinking problem. He can’t
stop after one or two. Then he was doing codeine…He was on bath salts for a
while. But the most serious was molly, which was why I get so mad at superstars
for saying there’s nothing wrong with molly. I’ve seen the effects of it.”
Brian displayed classic addict behaviors: he was impulsive,
lied frequently, and became abusive to family.
He often committed low-level crimes and spent short stints
in the county jail. His first sentence happened in 2004, just a week or two
after he turned 16. He was frequently let out early for good behavior.
His friends and significant others enabled and encouraged the
behaviors. His only pressure to change came from family, and even when he could
no longer see his son, now five years old, it was still not enough.
In the summer of 2012, Claire left home to study abroad in
England.
“I could tell for months things were going to erupt
somehow. I knew during the summer,” she said. “I told my mom before I left not
to tell me [about anything he’d done] unless I asked, because I didn’t want to
know. It’s just going to make it harder.”
While she was gone, he robbed a local M&T bank.
Claire learned the news through a status update on her
town’s Facebook fan page. Although they never identified Brian, she said “she
just knew something was wrong.” Her mother later confirmed it by phone after
watching the local news.
According to YNN, which covered the story extensively, Brian
entered the bank from the back, demanded money from the teller, and then walked
out. He was charged with third degree grand larceny and third degree robbery.
Claire says he was under the influence at the time and said
the family still isn’t sure whether he planned it or if it was a whim brought
on by the drugs. However, she did say that they found a bag packed with
clothing in his room.
Due to his drug addiction, Brian was given the option to
complete a year-long drug program instead of going to prison.
Claire says she only spoke to him about once the whole
time.
“I was just purely pissed off that he put himself in this
position and left us to deal with the mess which is what he did,” she said.
“That’s what drug addicts do.”
An evaluation determined Brian was chronically depressed.
This was exaggerated by the drugs he was taken, making him a truly volatile
force.
He was released in February to begin the program. He moved
into a halfway house located on Lyell, a local hub for drugs and criminal behaviors.
It became the ultimate test of his will. He passed with flying colors, moving
this past may into a better apartment with a friend from his program. He also cut ties with his former friends and
is now able to even spend hours alone with his son.
Brian is now coming up on a full year of sobriety. Claire
said she isn’t sure what’s next but is still hopeful. They are now working on
restoring their relationship
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