The American epidemic of drug addiction in the portraits of Jeffrey Stockbridge

Stretching for 5 kilometers, Kensington Avenue in North Philadelphia is a notorious place where drug addicts live, prostitution and crime flourish. Photographer Jeffrey Stockbridge spent six years in a dangerous area documenting the grim reality and recording the sad stories of each hero of the portraits he made. It is not customary to talk about this side of Philadelphia, and society is rarely shown what is going on in such areas. Stockbridge called the photo project Kensington Blues.

"I strive to give people the opportunity to treat each other humanly, despite the generally recognized differences," the photographer said.

Drugs killed more Americans in 2016 than the Vietnam War. Tens of thousands of ordinary people get hooked on painkillers prescribed to them by doctors after operations, childbirth or serious injuries. Fast addictive pills are expensive, and this forces people to look for a cheaper option. That's how many people end up on Kensington Avenue.

The twins are Tick Tock and Tootsie. Every day the sisters try to earn money in any way so that they have a place to spend the night. They take care of each other.

Al lives in a house without electricity and running water. Sometimes he rents a room upstairs to local prostitutes.

Sarah: "I'm 55 years old, I have a master's degree in psychology. Two years ago, my husband and my parents were killed in a car accident. I lost my family, my career, my health, and all in one day."

Carroll sleeps outside during the day to protect himself at night.

Tanya is 25 years old. She has been working in the sex industry for 7 years.

Bean.

Pat and Rachel gave the children to an adoption agency for their own protection. They believe that they did the right thing by giving their children a chance for a better future.

Carol is 41 years old. She has been using heroin for 21 years, he has become "the love of her life."

Jamie uses heroin and crack. She is seven months pregnant, and she has another daughter.

Sarah and Dennis. The veins on Sarah's arms are no longer suitable for injections, so she asked Dennis to stab in the neck.

Matt Neal suffered from drug addiction after being released from prison. Sepsis developed in his leg, but due to the fact that Matt was injected, there was no proper treatment. As a result, doctors had to amputate the leg.

Vinnie, a former professional boxer.

Bobby, he was in prison for drug distribution.

Melissa became a prostitute right after she started using drugs.

Ashley.