Drug-addicted carnies need rehab resources too

In my chosen profession, known as the carnival for all, there are quite a few drug addicts. This is mainly because most carnies get paid a certain amount every day no matter what they do.

If you work rides and food and other salaried positions they give you a raffle every day. If someone works on games, known as agents, they are usually paid a commission based on what they bring in. In any case, you get money at the end of the night, right after the carnival closes for the day.

That night you will see a lot of activity around the barracks where all the help sleeps. Some just don’t tend to sleep at night until they have no money left, which is usually more towards the morning. On a big night, the people who work the games usually have more money, since they are usually paid full commission each night. People who work salaried jobs have a pay day where they receive what they did not receive in drawings during the week. Either way, when addicts have a lot of cash, they’ll be up normally until dawn. Quite a few people in our business compare these addicts to vampires.

Whenever the carnival is near a neighborhood that has a crowd of drug dealers, it is very easy for addicts to get their fix of what they like. Some even get foreheads. For those who don’t know, a front is credit. The vast majority of carnies who get fronts are agents. The reason an agent can get a front is because she usually takes some of the money, as she receives it from clients, as the day goes on. He will then take that money to the local merchant and ask for some more with the story that he still gets paid that night.

Obviously some towns have better fairs than others. Sometimes the merchants of that city make a lot of money from these stallholders. In fact, they have won so much in the past that some of them followed the show to the next town. Some of these dealers ended up joining the carnival because of that one burst of revenue.

I’ve heard that people who use cocaine, also known as crack, often chase after the original feeling they experienced the first time. I’ve been told that after that original high or feeling, they never really experience it the same way again. Most crack dealers usually make money, no matter how good the fair or festival is, because of people still chasing that original feeling. The merchant who follows the fair to sell is also chasing, but he is chasing that original pile of cash.

Many people don’t realize that all the shows that are presented in big fairs have a drug policy. In fact, they even have random drug tests. Mainly for insurance purposes as it cuts down on your trip and midway insurance which some tests do. Sometimes they use these tests when someone has done something recently that makes them undesirable. They then give that person a test, which they will likely fail, as a method of firing the individual in question. Most shows don’t care as much if an agent is on hard drugs because he’s not operating wrinkles. They are usually very concerned when they learn of a personal trip with some form of illegal substance.

Some larger shows will run a school for children traveling with the show. The program hires a teacher, and the teacher travels with the program teaching school-age children whose parents travel with the program. There are currently no types of rehab programs that travel with the shows. Current rehabilitation consists of producing the participants in an effort to shame them and alert them to their problem. This is not working as well as an education, I don’t think so. With a good program, carnivals could possibly prevent these narcotics from ever showing in people’s mouths, noses, and veins.

I personally know several people in my business who have used hard drugs. These people found ways to quit smoking. Some have gone to treatment centers in the off-season and others found themselves quitting. Each of them will talk about when you stopped smoking and include the positive aspects that quitting has brought. Most programs that help people get off hard drugs are run by former abusers. Maybe that’s what the big carnivals should do. Get the guys and gals you know to be rehabbed to spend some time with current users each week.