At about quarter to four in the morning, not so long ago, I was awoken from much-needed sleep by a persistent pounding on the door. When I opened it, the young girl, who called herself "Kim," stood crying there, tall and gaunt, red-eyed and jagged toothed.

I knew almost right away that this girl was suffering from addiction to crack cocaine, even before she told me that she "used to" be a drug dealer and her mom was worried about her because she thought she "might" be "drinking."

My mother, who has had some vicarious experience with addiction herself, agreed with me that the girl was high; all of the signs were there. What we disagreed upon, however, was how close this girl was from hitting bottom. My mother figured she had more "experimentation" to do; I felt that her using days were drawing to a close.

One might say that I'd jumped to premature conclusions based on limited contact, or even that "It takes one to know one." I confess I am a recovering addict myself. I have had more than a glimpse of the personal hell this young lady is going through; I've been through it as well. What made me realize she wa

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1758
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)