Don’t make the mistakes I made. Don’t spiral out of control.
My life as I once knew it is gone, forever. It has been replaced by a new set of rules that I have little control over. In my freedom, I took a lot for granted. I used to swim, loved driving my car, or riding a motorcycle. I used to go to restaurants, take hikes in the forest, and stroll up and down the beach picking up seashells. Can you relate to this? I used to check out concerts, play golf (it was my thing), and feel the thrill of catching fish. Even the little things: walking to the store, or setting off fireworks on the 4th. All that’s gone now. I miss going to sports events, living with a woman, or cutting down a real Christmas tree. And Halloweens were the best! Now, I can’t even visit my friends and family. And the worst is not being able to go to their funerals when their time comes. I can’t even say that last goodbye. Many have passed away, and the mail is so slow, I always learn after the fact. Both my parents have passed away. I don’t like to think about it. I have made some really bad decisions. I have caused a lot of pain and grief to people I knew and strangers. When you hurt people, it spreads to other people you didn’t even imagine. Hundreds and hundreds, because people know other people, and we are all connected. It could even be a thousand people affected in my case. It is very sad. I was a selfish person. I didn’t think of anyone but myself. That’s not the way it goes. I was doing drugs. Even when you don’t plan for it, that’s what drugs eventually do. I didn’t listen when people were trying to advise me. It was like they were preaching to me. I hated it. My parents, teachers, and friends all tried to tell me I was going down the wrong path. I refused to listen. Even to my best friend! I began doing drugs by myself. I would hide it from people. I spiraled out of control. Don’t make the mistakes I made. Don’t spiral out of control.
