I've been an addict, I'm hoping to help you.

[RaspingFlunky]

Well, I know I'm 'new' here, but I'd like to talk about a topic that I know quite a bit about, drug and alcohol abuse and/or addiction. During my first go round with Virtual Teen forums (yes, I was previously a member, now I'm back) I was struggling with that exact issue. It started off just a once in a while thing. I would go to a party, pop a few Hydros, Percs, Oxys, whatever I could get my hands on, then I would proceed to drink. It was fun! I forgot about everything, the only thing was the here and now. Well, it started to become too much fun. I wanted to do it all the time! So I did. At the ripe age of 16, I would wake up, take a shower and do all my other early mooring business, then I would immediately go to the pills and drink. This little phase lasted a little less than a year, and I had some of the greatest moments of my life during that time. Not when I was doing the drugs, hell, I hardly remember any of that. The best moments were when my friends, my true friends, saved my life. They told me 'Colton, you have to quit this stint. It's going to get you killed.' of course for a while I blew it off, but there's always that moment when you come to your senses. Mine came to me the morning after a party. I woke up on my buddies sofa, disoriented, cold, alone, and someone had taken my jeans. I was wearing only my shirt, shoes, and my boxers. I got up and was just taking a look around, walked outside and made sure no one had taken my car, woke up my friends. We all opened one last bottle of beer and turned on the TV in our mindless stupor, then my friend 'Anne' called me, she was crying hysterically. She and her boyfriend, one of my best friends, had gotten in a wreck the night before, when leaving the party. We figured out what had happened, my buddies and I went to the hospital to see them. Anne was ok with a few minor scratches and bruises, but 'John' was in critical condition. When they wrecked, their Jeep rolled and John had taken his seatbelt off and tried his best to cover Anne. He succeeded, but hours later he died. A close friend of mine died because of me. How is this my fault? He was drunk off the alcohol I gave him, he was high off the pills I gave him, he tried to drive home and I didn't try to stop him. John, is dead because of me. That day, I decided that was it. No more. A few weeks later at a get to gather in memory of John, I got drunk. I didn't take any pills, but I got drunk. Being with all of our friends and feeling guilt for what had happened, I could't help but want to wash it all away, but I didn't do pills. My friends all sat me down that day and told me 'Colton, you HAVE to quit! You're killing yourself!' and I was. I even tried to 'opt out' if you know what I mean. Anne is the reason I quit. My friends are the reason I quit. I quit because I was only hurting those I was trying to protect. I quit for John, and for myself. I quit because I realize that the guilt doesn't go away, drugs only help me run from it. I can't forget it, I don't want to. If I could go back and erase it, I would. I would have put myself in that Jeep, not John. I can't. I do occasionally have a drink or two, yes. I still hang out with all of my old buddies and sometimes we get a little crazy, but I won't ever go to the point were I was then.
I hope you all never have to experience any negative repercussions of being an addict. These things can happen to any of us, I had to prove it to myself to believe it.
Please, if only for yourself, stop now. The ride never gets any better.

[darthearth]

Thank you for the testimony. :)

[the_dude69]

Glad to hear that. Keep it up I know its hard. I had the same DOC