Millie’s story: Homo Harmo Hero!

Millie is part of the NUAA family. She has done several of the NUAA courses and has been a star volunteer for nearly 2 years!

Three times a week I proudly put on a bright orange visibility vest, take a yellow bin and a “gator grabber” and scout for discarded using equipment around the grounds and buildings of the notorious inner-city tower complex where I live.

I like cleaning up my own home and I know I have made a big difference. I make it better for everyone. I like to be the person that bridges the gap. I am here sticking up for people who use drugs – my people. And I am making it safer and cleaner for the families who live here, for the kids. Because they are all members of my community.

Before I was “housed” as they call it, there were too many nights sleeping rough around Central and too many days coal-biting [asking strangers for money] to get on. I gotta tell you, there are not many services to help women out there.

Even further back, before roughing it and begging, there were years spent caring for my sick mother. There was her death and a burnt-down home. There was psychosis from amphetamines, several heroin habits and dependency on alcohol. There was violence. There was mental illness. I have 8 “nervous breakdowns” in my history.

There was loneliness.

Once I was housed, I could look at other parts of my life. But I was still begging and I felt stuck every time I used heroin. I desperately wanted to move forward.

I tried NA and AA because I thought it was the only way, but I didn’t fit in. It just wasn’t for me.

I came to NUAA via the hepatitis C Buddy Program. A woman who also lived in my block put me onto it.

Getting my hep C cured meant more to me than just a healthy liver. I felt like I was finding a healthier me – a me that cared about fixing myself and wanted to find other ways to a better life. I really turned a corner once I was told I no longer had hep C.

Another milestone was getting on methadone. I no longer have to beg every day because I don’t use street drugs anymore. It also helps me manage my drinking. And on top of all that, being on methadone helps with my depression. It’s partly the medication, and partly going to the clinic every day and connecting with people. I like talking to the nurses and my caseworker. I get a lot out of going to the coffee mornings that my clinic puts on once a week. All of a sudden, I had a community – and I liked being a part of it!

I got more involved with NUAA, going to their Consumer Academy courses. I trusted NUAA because I knew they were peers. I wanted to become involved in the rights of people who use drugs. I like the idea of harm reduction. It’s more “me” than abstinence.

Now I am working on other parts of my health. I’m getting my teeth fixed. I’m on medication for my heart. In the past, I only saw doctors to fight for Valium. I didn’t have time to talk about my health, not when my focus was on sorting my drugs. Buying Valium off the street took that out of the relationship with my doctor, so I could focus on fixing my health when we were together. Now, I only do a few Vallies every now and then to settle me down. That’s enough for me.

These days I am happy to know where I belong and to be about changing things for the better. I think of myself as a “Harmo Homo Hero!” and that feels good.