Gangbanging is an Addiction

As a native to the city of Chicago I have experienced quite a bit of the underworld of gangbanging. Originally as a youngster me and my buddies off of my block called ourselves starting our own gang called C.T.B. which was an acronym for Chi-Town Boyz, but being that the oldest member was somewhere in between the age of 10 or 11 we didn't make it that long. The funny thing about it is that we had come up with this idea of starting a gang so that we could protect one another from the "real gangs". We were at a vulnerable state at this point in our lives and didn't realize it. At such a young age we were already aware as to what gangs were, even more so we knew that we did not want to have any dealings with the likes of such.

The next 3 years changed all those ideas. By the year of 1989 crack was alive and well in the city of Chicago and by now I along with the buddies from my block had all become part of a "real gang". the reason we took that plunge is simply because we were able to see people that had no money begin to have some money. So again one of us had the bright idea of joining the gang so we could get their drugs and make that money. Little did we know that it would be some more years down the line that we would even have a clue on what it really took to get the money and that once you get it it'll be gone much sooner.

While hanging out on the blocks selling drugs, shooting at people that sometimes we had grown up with, while other times we were getting shot at, we were also setting up habits that we had no clue would be so hard to break. For example one thing that we use to do as a group is travel to the liquor store so that we could get drunk. This was something that was done everyday, and for the most part it still is, even if we are going to the store for the group or for personal use today. Another thing that becomes part of the gangbanging lifestyle is drug use. This is the case rather it is marijuana or any other drug, for some reasonit is almost impossible to sell drugs and noytindulge in them in some form or another, although I must say that there are some that have no desire to put any drugs in their system. This does n't make them better.

Here's whats real, the lifestyle involved with gangbanging is a fast one. One minute you are here with your money and the next minute you will be gone, rather you have been murdered or incarcerated, you are gone. The one and only true way to break the chains of the gang is to change your life, to stop doing anything that can be associated with that which one use to do while involved with gangbanging activty. Other than that you will see that gangbanging is addictive and just like any other addiction nothing positive can come from it.