Che says he knew he was an addict long before he found his way to drugs – “sugar, adrenaline, I was always on the edge.” He has been to three different treatment centers and the last time – living in the therapeutic community at New Roads – brought him 11 months of sobriety, the longest stretch yet in his 16 years of using drugs. But the housing he found after leaving was too close to the Block, and he was drawn back into the life. “That’s the thing – it’s not just the drugs, it’s the life. I’ve got friends out here who I went to school with.” Now 31, he’s feeling the pull toward major change. “I’ve got a six-year-old son I want to see, but I can’t go home because of my addiction. I’m starting to feel ready. Nothing is changing out here, and a lot of my friends are dead now. It’s time to get back to being a dad.”