30 years and counting

ImaPK · Postby **ImaPK** » December 23rd, 2009, 6:02 pm

December 23,1979...30 years ago tonight. I was sitting on a beach in the Phillipines. I had just finished off a bag of weed. Didn't even have a head rush. Checked my pocket and had $62 in it. Halfway between paydays. Decided then to give up drugs. Been clean ever since! 30 years ago and still hanging in there.

YouTube · Postby **Daniel** » December 23rd, 2009, 6:56 pm

ImaPK wrote:December 23,1979...30 years ago tonight. I was sitting on a beach in the Phillipines. I had just finished off a bag of weed. Didn't even have a head rush. Checked my pocket and had $62 in it. Halfway between paydays. Decided then to give up drugs. Been clean ever since! 30 years ago and still hanging in there.

Praise God, brother!

teach · Postby **teach** » December 23rd, 2009, 7:05 pm

that's awesome!!

Paully_44 · Postby **Paully_44** » December 23rd, 2009, 9:46 pm

1 day at a time......30 years later. Good news.

scooter · Postby **scooter** » December 24th, 2009, 4:50 am

Must have had a praying mother/father. Great job!

free · Postby **free** » December 24th, 2009, 4:57 am

Congrats! That is something I never had to struggle with but I have walked beside of many who have. Thank God for His mercy, love and strength..."I can do through Christ!"

DeWayneTN · Postby **DeWayneTN** » December 24th, 2009, 6:25 am

Awesome, Mike! Thanks for sharing that.

ImaPK · Postby **ImaPK** » December 24th, 2009, 8:38 am

Thanks gang. It is a daily struggle after doing drugs for 10 years. There's alot of the 70s that are blank. :oops:

And yep, my parents did pray alot for me...along with a bunch of others. :wink:

one love · Postby **one love** » December 24th, 2009, 11:24 am

ImaPK wrote:December 23,1979...30 years ago tonight. I was sitting on a beach in the Phillipines. I had just finished off a bag of weed. Didn't even have a head rush. Checked my pocket and had $62 in it. Halfway between paydays. Decided then to give up drugs. Been clean ever since! 30 years ago and still hanging in there.

That is just awesome!!!!!!

TW · Postby TW » December 24th, 2009, 11:38 am

Way to go man.

While thirty years is a awesome milestone, it really means nothing. I'm sure that Mike will agree with me that the only day that matters is; today. Am I clean and sober today? That's all that counts. That doesn't detract from the thirty years whatsoever, and that he did it without 12 stepping is impressive.

TW

MacUser · Postby **MacUser** » December 24th, 2009, 11:51 am

Great choice you made that day.

Congrats.

ImaPK · Postby **ImaPK** » December 24th, 2009, 4:58 pm

TW wrote:Way to go man.

While thirty years is a awesome milestone, it really means nothing. I'm sure that Mike will agree with me that the only day that matters is; today. Am I clean and sober today? That's all that counts. That doesn't detract from the thirty years whatsoever, and that he did it without 12 stepping is impressive.

TW

For those of you that have never had to deal with this let me TRY to tell you what it is like. In the beginning you do it for fun because you don't have to deal with hangovers. Then you "graduate". You go from pot to pills, speed and downers. You do the speed for the rush and if you take too many you take something to slow you down. Then you start having the same problem in reverse. You take so much to slow you down that you have to start popping to maintain a "normal" level. That's when your memory starts acting up. You can't remember what you did 10 minutes ago so you take more and really get messed up. Then someone offers you the chance to try coke(and I don't mean Coca-Cola). Oh man, the feeling you get the first time you try it! But man the "crash" you have when it wears off. So you go a few days before you try it again because the "crash" is still fresh in your mind. Then you start thinking how good it felt so you try it again. Before long you "forget" the "crash" and do it for the "feel good". Then you start "losing" money in addition to your memory. You start accusing friends of "ripping" you off. You start losing friends and making new "friends", you know the kind that "shares" drugs with you. Before long you lose them because you never have any drugs to "share" with them. If you're lucky you find a "friend" who will "pay" with drugs if you "make runs" for him.(I lived in San Diego at the time, figure it out) When your ship leaves the U.S. for six months you worry the whole time that you'll get busted in some country and spend time in their prison but you don't stop. The drug has you body and soul. Finally sitting on a beach one night you realize that your tolerence level has gotten so high that if you continue the way you are that the only thing left is an accidental overdose and death. IT'S TIME TO QUIT. Gang, it IS a daily struggle. I smell pot now and my palms start sweating and my mouth starts watering. I see someone "cut a line" of coke on TV and I have to change the channel. Every ounce of willpower I have is focused on staying off of drugs. Did I enjoy doing drugs? At the time, yes I did. Do I regret doing drugs? Most certainly. I've made alot of mistakes in my life and that is one of them.

dbserv · Postby **dbserv** » December 28th, 2009, 5:17 pm

Proud of you, Brother.

Praying for you and my other friends who struggle daily, as I do with food. May God give us all strength.

For me, it's only been a little over 4 years. I am so proud that I made it through the holidays without gaining even ONE pound!!!

So, CONGRATULATIONS MIKE!!!

Full Quiver · Postby **Full Quiver** » December 30th, 2009, 5:15 am

Mike, you mentioned doing drugs for 10 years. You've testified to having been clean for 30 years now. TW mentioned one day at a time and that I understand.

IS there ever a time since you've been clean three times as long as you actually did drugs that it's not a one day at a time thing?

Did that make sense?

ImaPK · Postby **ImaPK** » December 30th, 2009, 7:57 pm

Danny I work with several people who go out to their vehicles at breaks and lunch and smoke a "fat one". When I pass them or talk to them afterwards and smell it on them my palms get sweaty and my mouth waters. Yes it's still a "one day at a time" thing for me. Unless you've ever had a drinking or drug problem what I'm about to say might be hard to understand. IT TAKES EVERY OUNCE OF WILLPOWER A PERSON HAS NOT TO FALL BACK INTO THAT WAY OF LIFE. For those of you who are Christians it is somewhat easier but for those of us who ain't it's a daily struggle. I've been "invited" to go out at breaks and lunch and "partake" but I know if I take that first hit that it's all over with and I would jump back in with both feet. My dad once made the comment to me that I should take some of that willpower and use it to stop smoking. I asked him if he had ever done drugs and he replied no. I told him then that he had no way of understanding what it's like to struggle with this 24/7. I do my best to avoid drugs every way I can. It's hard for me to even take prescription drugs when I've gone to a doctor. I'm a nervous wreck until they're gone. Sure I "only" did drugs for 10 years and yes I've been "clean" three times as long but that doesn't make it any easier.

Jude 2