HUSBAND'S ADDICTION CHRONICLED BY AUTHOR

When Cynthia Hunter's son was home from college one weekend, he
caught his mother lost in thought. He asked if she was thinking about
the time when her ex-husband knocked her down a long flight of stairs
for a hit of crack cocaine?

"He said as you were falling you'll never believe that there was an
angel there and I saw the angel spread her wings and capture you,"
said Hunter, whose son helped her up after the fall.

The mother-son acknowledgement of that terrible time opened a door
that has led to the publication of Hunter's book, "Diary of a Crack
Addict's Wife." Hunter spoke at the opening session of the third
annual Guilford County Substance Abuse Coalition Symposium held last week.

The GCSAC brought together substance abuse providers, governmental
agencies, local citizens and community organizations to discuss
techniques and strategies to help eradicate the problem that has
plagued Guilford County.

Some of the sessions on the first day of the two-day event included:
Life After Drugs, Understanding Addiction, HIV and Other Communicable
Diseases, Succeeding Against All Odds, Treating Adolescents: A focus
on substance abuse and addiction with Chris Townsend,

George Coates, the executive director of GCSAC said one in 10 people
in the county are affected in some way by substance abuse. He added
that even though they are not directly involved they probably knew
someone or had associated with someone who has a problem. Coates also
said everyone needs information to help one another deal with it. He
invited Hunter to speak.

"I met Cynthia a couple years ago when she spoke at my church and the
Coalition thought this would be a good opportunity to share some of
her story with the community and for other people to know you can
live through the situation and come out on the other side. To see
someone who has dealt with it and done that is very important," said Coates.

Hunter recalled the horrific life she and her child lived at the
hands of an abusive husband who became a crack addict. She said the
inspiration to write the book came five years ago when her oldest son
came home from college and broke the silence about what they had gone through.

Hunter said her son told her that God had spared her life for a
reason. She could speak out against abusive relationships so that
other women and children would be saved from the things they had to
endure. At the time, Hunter said she never even thought about writing
the book because her family never knew the true story.

"Like so many women you get caught up and don't tell them the bad,
you tell them the good. By the time the bad is bad, it's bad. Tragedy
has struck," said Hunter.

Hunter said she debated with herself about writing her memoirs, but
found the courage when her son told her there were no other books out
on the subject. She also discovered that her book would be the first
from a victim's perspective. It took her nearly two years to write
and self publish the book. Hunter added that she stepped out on
faith, quit her job and became obsessed with selling "Diary." She
said she owed it to her children, especially her oldest son Terrence,
now 27, for the things that he saw and endured.

Not only did Terrence witness his pregnant mother being thrown down a
flight of stairs, he dealt with situations that a seven-year-old
should not have. She would send him to school with hundreds of
dollars to avoid keeping the money with her or in the house because
her husband would take it. She recalled one horrific night when she
and her son ran for their lives jumping off porches and over fences
while she was six months pregnant with her second child.

"I didn't recognize any signs, until one day I came home from work
and he was at the kitchen table getting high," said Hunter.

Hunter said her ex-husband swept her off her feet before she realized
that he was a functional drug addict. He worked on Wall Street,
treated her like a queen and was the most gregarious man she'd ever
known. When she found him doing crack, she was two months pregnant.
Like so many women in denial, she thought he was going through a
phase, she said.

"After that day, I was thinking oh it's just recreational. Not my
man, he's too strong for that. Crack? Oh he will get over it," she said.

Hunter said another week went by and he began to progress. He took
money from the accounts and when that ran out, he sold their
furniture, VCR's and televisions. Then the verbal and physical abuse
began. Her breaking point was one day when he made a remark and
Hunter said it back to him verbatim. She said that one remark almost
cost her, her life. She added that she used to laugh when people said
they would literally see colors and stars from being slapped.

"He slapped me so hard I saw neon stars. I saw more colors than
skittles have in their rainbow. And I just snapped," said Hunter who
quickly retaliated without thinking.

The next day Hunter found herself before a judge who told her if he
died she would face life in prison. New Jersey didn't have
self-defense laws. When he saw that she had never been arrested,
served three years in the military, and was a law abiding citizen,
the judge set bail at $28,000. Her ex had a criminal history of
restraining orders. After she was released, Hunter said she never
looked back, though she had tried unsuccessfully to get her husband help.

"I hope people can read my book so they won't get to that point. That
could have ruined my life and career," said Hunter.

Hunter has traveled throughout the country speaking about her book.
It was an Essence magazine best seller and has received award from
the Senate, Congress, and the General Assembly. Hunter said if she
could just save one life she has done her part. She said she receives
letters and at least three to four emails daily from women who have
gone through the same experience. Hunter even received a call from an
R&B singer who offered support because she had been in a relationship
with an addict also.

" She said 'how did you know my story, I can't put the book down or
stop reading, This was my story, Cindy. I went through so much and
this is my story,'" said Hunter.

Hunter said because of the positive response she's received from the
book, she's starting a support group for women who are abused at the
hands of crack cocaine addicts. She said people asked her why crack
and she said because it is so taboo to tell people that a family
member is going through it. Plus, crack, she said is a whole
different monster. An alcoholic can only drink so much before they
pass out. A crack addict will deteriorate before your eyes.

Hunter said too many women are quick to move men in before they
actually get to know them. She said they should immediately do a
background check. She added that a red flag should go up if men are
snappy, moody and secretive about common things like their age,
birthday and middle name. Hunter said when she began dating again she
did a background check on a man before the relationship became
serious. The man had a rap sheet from the ceiling to the floor for
assault charges. She added that her rule of thumb is to watch how he
treats his mother.

The response to Hunter's book has been so great she has written it
into a play with a movie soon to follow. The play will be in
Greensboro April 2006. Hunter says crack is destroying the black
family. She said the saddest thing in the world is to see a young
child caught up in drugs or a drug charge because they are selling
crack to feed their family. Most times their parents are strung out
on drugs. Hunter also suggested a mandatory educational system
instead of prison.

Christopher Townsend led the symposium on Treating Adolescents. He
works with children ages 12 to 17. He added that some kids think
there is nothing wrong with their actions until they face
consequences. He said that an adolescent's emotional and intellectual
growth is stunted when they use drugs and alcohol. Drugs or alcohol
may interfere with their personal relationships, identity formation,
education, and employment and family responsibilities. Townsend said
that it is really important to let children know that they are loved
and cared for.

"It is an engagement piece. When I see children jacked up or harassed
at 10 o'clock at night by the police, I can either say I'm off the
clock or take it as an opportunity to say I care. And I have done
that and it turned out that the young man was being harassed. He
thanked me for stopping to help," said Townsend.

Angela Thigpen, prevention manager with Alcohol and Drug Services,
attended Townsend's session. She said that in the field of prevention
her goal is to hopefully delay the point of children using substances.

"Well I have worked with the boys in prevention. The treatment of
adolescents is an important subject that is often times overlooked. I
think that in treatment we have such an adult focus but it's
important that we don't forget young people because the majority of
adult substance abusers started when they were teenagers," said Thigpen.