Drug scene in Frankfurt’s Bahnhofsviertel Image: Tom Wesse
Tom was a drug addict, now he’s studying and has an apartment. The House of Advice in Frankfurt helped him. The cannabis law means a lot more work for the institution, although legally nothing changes for young users.
When Tom once again climbs over the figures at Frankfurt Central Station, when he looks into their faces – sunken, without teeth – when he smells that they are sitting in their own excrement, a realization flashes through his brain: If I don’t stop, I end like this. “If I continue like this, I’ll either be dead by the time I’m 30 or I’ll end up in jail.”
At this point he is addicted to cocaine, alcohol and cannabis. He still lives in an apartment. He hasn’t paid the rent for a while and used the money his parents gave him to buy drugs. But he feels that his body, his psyche and his life are going quite downwards. “At a certain point, there is no longer any reason to get sober.” Tom doesn’t want to go beyond that point. So he makes a decision.