Prowling life's unpredictable streets, I've danced with the beasts of addiction, from Tramadol to Duromine. Tunes of techno fueling my journeys, I've roamed the realms of both euphoria and despair. It's not all been the glimmering 'Hey Hey Hey' (Original Mix) but a raw, unfiltered symphony of life.
Looking in the mirror, I see not a reflection but a riddle. A 52-year-old man replacing a youthful 24-year-old version of me, his gaze returning my bewilderment. Yet, I see resilience beneath the wear, an unyielding spirit amid the struggle.
Duromine is an odyssey for the brave or the lost, its allure as potent as the hypnotic thump of techno music. Once, Tramadol was my dance partner, its effects an intoxicating blend of hallucinations and insatiable desire. A consuming fire, it burned until the ashes of sleeplessness remained.
I've seen the otherworldly, crossing paths with the mythical Balinese Barong and Rangda, feeling their unnerving gaze pierce through my Tramadol-hazed self. My escapades carried me to the farthest corners, from brothels to fever-ridden nightmares of dengue.
Surviving dengue is to stare death in the face and live to tell the tale. I've traversed this land of discomfort and disease, fortified by a potent cocktail of Tramadol and desperation. It’s a journey where the real enemy isn't mythical creatures, but the buzzing carriers of the dengue virus.
Returning to Australia, I discovered the peculiar poetry of opiates, reminiscent of Byron or De Quincy. But, unlike them, my muse was not the written word but the intoxicating trance of euphoria. And Australia, my vibrant canvas, allowed me to play this out on a grand scale, my life, a tale inked in the throes of an unconventional weight-loss journey.
Scoring legal stimulants, maneuvering through bulk-billing systems, and navigating through ban letters - I've waded through it all. Life, like a vast, open-ended script, has offered me roles I never auditioned for but embraced with an addict’s desperation.
In the grand theatre of existence, the final act is far from over. So, here I stand, life's curious actor, staring at the reflection of a man who refuses to bow out, ready for the next scene.