The Beginnings

The days were chaotic at Chast and the residents never made it easier. The staff somehow managed to keep their sanity while helping others regain their own. I was one of those residents and my life was filled with temptation and greed which landed me here. Chast was the best in the country when it came to rehabilitatio...n and I was fortunate to be there. My family was one of dischord and I was the misfit. My father died when I was two and my mother chose a life that was unhealthy to say the least. I was the third child in a family of eight and from the age of twelve I was left to fend for myself. Life on the streets came naturally to me and I welcomed the life with open arms. Had I known at the time such a life would land me here I may have chose a different path.I have been a resident here since July 21, 2008. I was just fifteen when I found myself here and though I knew why I was here I refused to admit my dire need for help. Life in the past three years had taught me to trust no one and to expect th worst and that's just how Chast made me feel. I was one of hundreds of hundreds of residents and each of us had our quirks. My roommate was a recovering pyromaniac who was three months into a two year court ordered recovery program. Our wing housed the most dangerous of all the residents and the staff was well aware of that fact. Nightly bed checks and random searches made life intersting in the north wing of Chast. Being the new guy in a place like Chast comes with certain pitfalls. You must keep focused at all times for you never know what slightest word or simple request will make you the target of an angry mob of veteran residents. I made the mistake the second day I was here of speaking to a gang banger the result of which put me in a medical bay for a week with a fractured jaw. As time progressed I grew to know the cliques and whom not to cross which in a place like this is virtually everyone. I was accustomed to being on my own and the transition to rehab was a diificult one, but come what may I knew I had to make some major changes.Chapter OneAugust in Louisiana was unbearable and add humidity you feel like laying in bed all day, but at Chast each day was regemented. Long group therapy sessions followed by meals and showers could not have been farther than what I wanted to be doing with my time but as I recall my last days with my mother dreams of a happy reunion made me worked through what seemed endless. While I was a violent person my roommate Gerry made me seem tame. Gerry came from a broken home. His father verbally and physically abused both he and his mom. By the age of sixteen he had a criminal history that included battery, robbery and attempted murder.
Among the ward were hundreds of split personalities who's only objective it seems was to disrupt the already chaotic atmosphere. My first therapy session was quite intense. The grusome stories of murder and drugs only made my fear grow and I also realized these group sessions weren't for us, but rather for the saf...ety if the staff. I snapped back to reality and there stood a man of at least six feet recalling how a toxin laced shoot-up left him waking two days later here with a broken arm and looking for revenge. " That scum deserves to die and want to be the one to finish him!" the man grunted. The doctor stepped in, "now, now Louis you know it's unhealthy to speak like that." Louis shot her a look that screamed rage and with that he stormed off. "Dr. Garrison" another resident said "don't you realize by now he doesn't respond well to scolding." Although relatively new here I had to agree with him. After all it was Louis who put me in the infirmary when I arrived. I moved on as did the therapy session, but I did not speak. I do not show my feelings. Lunch time came and I got my food as usual and went to my corner. "Hello there," someone said from behind, "name's Henry mind if I sit here?" He was an unfmiliar face so I shrugged and he sat next to me. He went on telling me how his wife kicked him out and would only accept his return on the condition he come here and work on his violent mood swings. Wanting to make a friend I introduced myself as Doug and retold my story for the umpteenth time since my arrival. We exchanged stories and the time flew by. I knew this man could help me by helping himself. I knew if I wanted a successful life I would have to make the same changes and life had given me a fifteen year head start and now was the time to start mending bridges.