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Foreword
 by Jane Covey
Crystal Elliott sat across the
table from me. She brushed her long blond hair away from her face as she
spoke. She smiled, she laughed softly and I was struck immediately by her
clear skin, her broad smile and her wide-set blue eyes. She’s beautiful, I
thought. She’s not only beautiful, she’s confident and articulate.
“It’s only been six months since I left the drug rehab center,” she said.
Hard to believe! I said silently. She’s too pretty, too smart, to have been
through all that.
I noticed the tattoo encircling her upper arm. Maybe she’s telling the
truth, I thought. This was not the sort of thing a ballet dancer would have,
or even a college girl. I knew she once could have been both, so I listened
more closely to her story.
Crystal was one who had everything to live for: a loving family, a bright
mind and the talent to become a ballet dancer. She separated herself from
everything because of her decision to turn to drugs. This book is a guide
for Parents and their children, but it is also, Crystal’s story. The story
of a fair-haired girl who began dancing ballet at the tender age of three
years, studying at several ballet schools, including her mother’s, until she
was twelve years of age. It was during that year that she auditioned and was
accepted into a nationally renowned school, receiving a full scholarship for
six years to study ballet.
Crystal’s dancing became, for her, an absolute passion. When she was twelve
years old, her ballet practice hours per week amounted to at least
thirty-seven! Bleeding feet and sore ankles simply meant more
anti-inflammatory pills to cover the pain. Crystal’s love of ballet was
all-inclusive. It was the fulfilment of dreams and hopes and all her
ambitions. Her hours of dancing continued to increase; so did the pain in
her ankles. With it, came anorexia and bulimia, and a desperate desire to
stay thin.
She was at the top of her class, the envy of all the other students in her
classes. No one had more potential to succeed, than Crystal. No one was more
driven, or more ambitious, to become a professional ballet dancer in the
Australian Ballet Company.
Crystal’s ankle pain continued to increase until surgery was advised. “This
will only be a temporary setback,” she was told. It was not true. After the
surgery, she would never dance again.
This book is the story of a beautiful, promising girl, who turned to
hard-core, illicit drugs to dull the pain of broken dreams. She smoked,
swallowed and shot drugs into her veins. Drugs started her on a downward
spiral of addiction that ushered her into the dark world of those who are
physically abused, by themselves and by others, and finally, to her own
attempted suicide.
Talking to Crystal today, there is little evidence of the haunting world she
has experienced, but it’s there, inside her, and occasionally creeps out as
she speaks.
This book is written as a warning guide for Parents. It is full of
information, written by a young woman who has been there. It is a fine
reference guide for teachers and counselors, as well as, anyone working with
children and young people. It is also a book for young people, themselves,
who want to know the hazards of illicit drugs.
It’s an easy-to-read handbook of instruction: what to look for, what to
fear. Most importantly, it teaches how to relate to children so they will
open up and tell you about their anxieties, and not turn to drugs to salve
their inner pain. The information in this book can save the life of someone
you love and for whom you care.
This is Crystal Elliott’s story. It has come about through her struggle to
completely overcome her addition to drugs, and to her determination to
enlighten others to the terrifying world of illicit drugs.
Don’t wait until your child is on drugs before you get informed. Get
informed now! This book will open your eyes.
Jane Covey
International Lecturer in Family Relations
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