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

If you work rides and food and other salaried positions they give you a lottery every day. If someone works on games, known as agents, they are usually paid a commission based on what they put in. In either 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 closer to morning. On a big night, the people working the games usually have more money, since they are usually paid full commission each night. People who work salaried jobs have a payday where they get what they didn’t get in raffles during the week. Either way, when addicts have loads of cash, they’ll usually stay up 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 fronts. For those who don’t know, a front is credit. The vast majority of the showmen who get fronts are the agents. The reason an agent can get a front is because she usually takes some of the money, as she gets 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 is still getting paid that night.

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

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

A lot of people don’t realize that every show that goes on at big fairs has a drug policy. In fact, they even have random drug tests. Mainly for insurance purposes as it cuts down on your trip and insurance midway they do some testing. Sometimes they use these tests when someone has done something recently that makes them undesirable. They then give that person a test, likely to fail, as a method of firing the individual in question. Most shows don’t care as much if an agent takes 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 the children who travel 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 rehab program types traveling with the shows. Current rehabilitation consists of producing participants in an effort to shame them and alert them to their problem. This isn’t working as well as an education, I don’t think so. With a good schedule, carnivals could possibly prevent these narcotics from ever showing through 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 have found it in themselves to quit. Each of them will talk about when they quit smoking and will 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 big carnivals should do. Have guys and girls you know who are rehabbed spend some time with current users each week.