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Building from zero after addiction, prison, and a felony

gavinray97.github.io

351–360 of 452 posts

Re: Building from zero after addiction, prison, and a felony

#351

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Recovered opiate addict and for me it was a mix of everything: Some advice I had gotten from NA meetings, finally doing something about the other mental health issues I was dealing with, and most importantly: medications that prevented me from using (methadone/suboxone). It was definitely a process (that included multiple jail stints and only god knows how many treatment centers), but 10 years later life is pretty aw…

Hell yeah, congrats on 10 years of living actual life.

Thank you!!! I commented too much on my account and have to use my alt-account, but I appreciate that.

Re: Building from zero after addiction, prison, and a felony

#352
My son Nicolas also followed a similar path. Sadly, he didn’t survive one of these ‘holes’ at 22. We shared a deep connection and had open, challenging conversations right up until he passed away, but it wasn’t enough... Can I be incredibly selfish and asked you something he might say to me had he been able to navigate these turbulent waters. Miss you Nico.

Re: Building from zero after addiction, prison, and a felony

#353

Earlier quoted context omitted.

i’ve been through all of this, and it turned out fine. seriously people don’t hold a drug bust against you, if you can do the job. i’ve lived on the road, camped in Golden Gate Park, attended several Rainbow Gatherings, etc. after spending years in India as a monk, i couldn’t find a place in american society. i bootstrapped a new identity that let me live as a teacher and developer; but i had to move to Śrī Laṅkā to…

True, you can even get a government security clearance. They hold financial debts, gambling history, and dubious associations against you much more. *Providing the drug use was short lived.

They will hold undisclosed drug busts/use against you.

Re: Building from zero after addiction, prison, and a felony

#354
I'm going to be a bit insensitive, sorry.

I've read many similar stories, in nearly all of them a couple of helpful friends always show up to save the day. I find it absurd that some people consider this zero.

I too was bullied during all my childhood, I haven't had a single friend in my life, I can barely imagine the possibility of being able to ask a favor from someone and even receive something.

Having someone to rely on sounds luxurious to me. My life has been a series of rejections. Apart from that I was always healthy, able to provide for myself, but I don't have a story. Somehow I feel like that if I could start a new life, I would choose one like this guy's rather than relive mine.

Re: Building from zero after addiction, prison, and a felony

#355

My son Nicolas also followed a similar path. Sadly, he didn’t survive one of these ‘holes’ at 22. We shared a deep connection and had open, challenging conversations right up until he passed away, but it wasn’t enough... Can I be incredibly selfish and asked you something he might say to me had he been able to navigate these turbulent waters. Miss you Nico.

He would tell you that he's sorry he let you and everyone else around him down. That he didn't get to fix the bridges he burned, and mend the people he hurt.

That every time he came down from his high and was lying in bed unable to sleep, the guilt was like an ocean devouring him. That tonight would be the last time he would ever touch anything.

That he wanted to stop, knew he should stop, but when you wake up sweating & shaking all logic leaves your mind and the only thing you can think of is where to get more.

That it's not your (or anyone else's) fault, you did nothing wrong, and quite probably everything right. Some of us are just born with demons on our shoulder that won't stop whispering in our ear.

He would tell you of all the the plans he had come up with over the years, to make up the lost time with you and the rest of his loved ones. Doing things that YOU want to do, just to make you happy, because he had been selfish enough and you were owed at least that much.

That when things were their darkest, and he felt his lowest, one of the few saving graces and safe havens in his mind were the times he spent with you, before he fell into this pit of darkness.

---

I am, genuinely, sorry to hear that. Not in a "my condolences way", but in a grief-ridden and deeply personal way.

I lost my father and several of my closest friends to fentanyl. I know your grief. I know the feeling of anger that also gives you guilt, that they should have robbed the people that loved them most of the opportunity to experience them, and robbed themselves of the bright future they were capable of having.

Nothing I, or anyone else says, can make it any better.

I shed tears while writing this. Nico mourns for you as much as you mourn for him.

Re: Building from zero after addiction, prison, and a felony

#356
post #319

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Almost everything is a choice. The difference is that sometimes you're making a rational one and sometimes you only think you're making a rational one and to outsiders and in retrospect it obviously wasn't the best choice, or event a good choice. There are two aspects to the type of question that was asked. How do you prevent people from ha I g to make choices which are rational and good for their options but still r…

> you only think you're making a rational one and to outsiders and in retrospect In retrospect? It's really not hard to determine before the fact that petty crime is not a road to good things. We have ways to prevent people from going down this path. It's called enforcement. He was more or less allowed to steal and sleep in the parks. If there was strict enforcement, this wouldn't have been a medium term viable optio…

Enforcement is right of boom, essentially a safety net for the negative external affects of a person having already made a series of choices that resulted in an enforceable outcome. My impression from the thread is a query to identify the things that can prevent an enforceable outcome in the first place.

While one might say strict enforcement would discourage particular behavior choices. I would not disagree and add that suppression of behaviors is not as effective as replacement of behaviors.

Re: Building from zero after addiction, prison, and a felony

#357

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This. In a healthy society there would be no need for intoxicants with so severe harms (BBC list for substances by harm is a good reference) and thus no exposure for a addictive substance. Now the norm decides that, almost without exceptions, we must all be exposed.

What’s healthy isn’t complete abstinence, it’s moderation. This is true of coffee, sugar, alcohol, social gatherings, work, play, and everything else in life.

If alcohol was only discovered in 2026, there isn't a country in the world that would legalise it.

It's legal only because it's been grandfathered in, from before legal systems were created.

Re: Building from zero after addiction, prison, and a felony

#358

I'm going to be a bit insensitive, sorry. I've read many similar stories, in nearly all of them a couple of helpful friends always show up to save the day. I find it absurd that some people consider this zero. I too was bullied during all my childhood, I haven't had a single friend in my life, I can barely imagine the possibility of being able to ask a favor from someone and even receive something. Having someone to…

  > I haven't had a single friend in my life
  > I can barely imagine the possibility of being able to ask a favor from someone and even receive something
  > My life has been a series of rejections
It's true, I had a lot of help, and that's not universal.

I'm going to say this, and I mean it genuinely, so please do not find this insensitive:

What if you went to lunch with someone, and the first things they said to you were those 3 quotes at the top?

You'd probably much rather hear something like:

  > I haven't had much luck making friends, YET
  > In the past, I've not been very good at asking others for help, and sometimes I get afraid if I did, they might not give it
  > I've been through a lot of hardships, SO FAR
Even if we don't say things out loud, our mental states and attitudes are clear as day to others around us. You can tell when someone is upset, or having a bad day, without ever speaking to them.

One of the most impactful things a mentor once told me is:

  > "We are the stories we tell ourselves."
Look at the story you tell yourself today, in those quotes above.

I want to genuinely ask you, to give "telling yourself a different story" a try. You might be surprised at how well you can "fake it 'til you make it!"

Sorry to hear that life has been a struggle for you and that you've not had a good support system to aid you.

But it doesn't have to stay that way -- every day you live & breathe is an opportunity to start the first chapter of a very different story...

Re: Building from zero after addiction, prison, and a felony

#359

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I lost a good friend, a cycling partner, when she was hit by a car. I think she was a Cat 3 or 4 racer. Talented rider. I haven’t ridden on the road since. Just no joy in riding anymore if it just takes one careless individual on a cell phone… Every so often I think about linking up with a group ride again or even going to a spin class, but I just don’t see the fun in it anymore.

>I haven’t ridden on the road since. It's laughable how proud some cyclists become when they think a painted stripe will somehow protect them from cellphoned sharks. Obviously US bicycling infrastructure is laughably dangerous , and nobody deserves full-blame for exercising their legal rights upon roadways -- but e.g: biking up Lookout Mountain's shoulderless 2-lane highway is. stupid.ly common. These are tourist roa…

What an odd thing to say to someone lamenting the passing of their friend. Maybe you should try some cardio.
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