Torn Sneakers is a memoir about my struggle to break co-dependency and rebuild my self-esteem in order to tear away from Chris, a heroin addict. Chris ends up living on the streets of Baltimore, and is arrested and detained in jail, where he becomes involved in gang acitvity. After surviving his drug addiction, "street hopping" and jail, Chris eventually becomes partially blind. I tried to help him deal with his addiction, but my life was in danger. In the end, I realized how dangerous addictions can be and I needed to save my own life instead of trying to help Chris. While I was involved with Chris, I felt like I was falling further and further into a deep, dark hole and could not climb out, no matter how hard I tried. I wanted to walk away from Chris on many occasions, but a turn of events would always cause me to feel sad for Chris, and I stayed in this relationship. My good friend Jay played a cruel trick on me, but it forced me to face the reality that whatever amount of love I had with Chris was not worth me losing my life. Torn Sneakers shows how powerful, heartbreaking, and confusing dealing with an addict was to me.