Hi! My name is Amarah. Kids are important to Jesus, and they’re important to me, too.

Jesus said, “Take heed that you despise not (be mean to) one of these little ones; for I say to you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 18:10, KJV).

“Kids like me” are kids and adults of all ages whose parents are, or were, drug addicts, and alcoholics; kids who have suffered, or who are suffering, abuse and neglect on multiple levels; and kids who are victims of bullying.

Hi, I’m going to keep my name anonymous for a few reasons but I don’t mind sharing my story. First of all, I’m 23 years old and I was born and raised in the San Luis Valley. I grew up in a very small town with my mother, brother and two sisters. My father left when I was 5 years old and wasn’t around very much after that. He popped in-and-out of my life, going and coming whenever he pleased and that made it difficult on me and my siblings because we wanted a dad.

We forgave him for all the crappy stuff he put us through. He abused my mother, my siblings and I, not always physically, but financially and emotionally. He cheated on my mother and ended up having another son with another woman in-between my birth and my younger sister’s birth, and as a result I have a younger brother. Before he left our family he helped my mother develop an addiction to cocaine.

In my younger years, I remember both my mother and step-father battling their addiction with alcohol and cocaine on a daily basis. There was a lot going on in my home-life around that time. My mom and step-dad were hardly ever home. My older brother was out on the streets running-a-muck so all that was left was me and my two sisters. My older sister pretty much raised me and my younger sister around that time until she left to go to college and that left me to take care of my younger sister.

Heroin is my drug of choice and I’ve used it for eight years. I’ve used alcohol for 10 years because it took away my anxiety and I used it as a crutch for my depression. I started using drugs while I was drinking and after my grandmother died I started using more heavily. I want to stop drinking alcohol and I want to stop using drugs more than anything.

When I first started out drinking and using drugs, I loved the way they made me feel, or not feel, until I became addicted and more problems were the result.

I don’t have any children and I no longer want any because I never want to bring an innocent life into this cruel world with any chance that they would have to go through what I have gone through.

If I could change anything - I wouldn’t change anything. I’ve been through a lot but I’ve also been very blessed and things could have been much worse. I’m still young and I have every intention of turning my life around for the better.

Being an addict is hard because aside from everyone around judging you, being an addict we are our own worst critics and we put ourselves down more than anyone ever could. My advice for parents who are addicts would be: no matter how bad you think you are or how much resentment you think your kids hold against you, that’s not the case. No matter what, show them that you care and that you love them and fight to be in their lives.~Anonymous

Thank You, Kid Like Me, for talking with me. You look like the grown-up version of my baby sister! You said when you were a kid you wanted to be a famous singer/songwriter when you grew-up. You still can be! I hope you’ll share your poems and songs in my column. Just like you said, writing helps “…let everything out and escape reality.” Writing does the same for me. I’m glad you had your grandma when you were little. I have my grandma, too. Please, stay in touch.

Thank You, Sheriff Jackson and Corporal Sanchez!

Write to me at Amarah’s “Kids Like Me” P.O. Box 354, Alamosa, CO 81101. If you know a kid like me, or parent, who doesn’t have a Bible, but wants one, please, contact me. I’ll make sure he/she gets a Bible, “…and all the earth may know there is a God…” (1 Samuel 17:46, KJV).

Kids Like Me offers non-denominational World Bible School (WBS) Bible Correspondence Courses (free/postage paid). If you would like the WBS Courses, send your name/age/address and I’ll get you started ASAP! I hope to hear from you soon!

Until next time, remember, Jesus Loves You, and JESUS IS LORD!