i smoked my first joint when i was 12,

i started drinking when i was 16,

i turned 18 and tried a few other drugs..



i lost my family, friends, and everything for years... i chased the good feeling of euphoria until i ended up lost and sleeping on street corners and wandering lost. it tried to take my life as well. i suffered from a real bad addiction, but i refused to believe it for myself. i destroyed everything i came in contact with, i was hated by my family because i was a failure. this vicious cycle went on for years and i was powerless to do anything about it.

drugs never got me anywhere in life, they never did anything positive for me, they allways held me back. i lost countless jobs, lost many homes, and lost my own reputation. i had lost all hope too.

I want to share my message with others, and when i try to help others they are as blind as i was and they dont even realize this. they think its funny or dont want to listen and will even argue the fact that drugs are important to them and they will make excuses to continue to belive it is ok to use drugs. I realize by trying to help others after my addicition that i was a monster.

you can call it my story, or my message, or whatever you want to call it, but i call it "my life."

i want to say this, from what i learned it isnt easy to give up drugs, some people will never have the chance to recover... and to them i say this "if you think one day you will wake up and things will change... WAKE UP!! its not gonna happen over night... it took me over 10 years.. its not easy..." every day was a battle, and we have to give up on drugs before the healing can begin.

just recently i gave up on beer, it was a social thing and i treated it with respect. i lost that feeling of needing something external to relax me or influence my moods. in fact, before i quit drugs i felt the same, i didnt like the feeling anymore and i had plenty of resposibilites that were more important than drugs.

Today is a different story, today im respected by my family, i have a Great job, and a wonderful baby that was born Nov 28th 2012, a beautiful wife, a reliable transportation vehicle, a place i can call home, and an amazing outlook on life. I am a truck driver today, and i travel for a living, i have seen a majority of the united states, and now i have a feeling of self acomplishment - thats something drugs can never give you!

To be honest thou, drugs did change my perspectives on life, and im not sure if i would have been the same person with out having had to learn what i did. I can admit it has made me a stronger person from an educational stand point, and i know the cold truth. Someone can go to college and get a degree and learn about drugs, but facing them and fighting them is a lesson no school can teach you.

there is so much i can say, and i dont think i can change the world - but i love to help people and make a difference. i hope my story can help someone, somewhere, somehow...



thank you...