Many of you know I did my time in jail, too, thankfully and by the grace of God never a felony.  Anyway, this kid I know, Brady, was heading down the wrong road.  I tried to tell him, "Man, square your ass away or you will be just like me and have to deal with a lot of unpleasent shit in your life.  Use my bad example of what NOT to do."  

Nope.  Dumbass was like me, and just didn't think shit stinks until he got his nose rubbed in it.

He was under house arrest, and the stupid son of a bitch cut his bracelet off.  His mom called the police to report where he was, which is exactly what he needs to get off the fucking drugs and pull his head out of his ass.  I was the one that had him arrested the first time.

He called me yesterday, all but blubbering, telling me how sorry he was he never listened to me and wound up in jail.  He's facing 3 felonies and a skew of drug charges, so he ain't getting out any time soon - especially since one of the charges is felony ESCAPE cause he cut the bracelet.  How fucking stupid can you get?

I mean, the dumbass was here, living in my house, knowing how much shit I went through to right my wrongs.  He knows, down to the dollar, how much it cost me.  How much time and effort.  How many tears I cried and nighmares I woke from.  How many times one tiny glitch in the system had the police here with a warrant for my arrest.  That I lost my driver's license.  The way the kids looked at me, and all the pressures it put on me and Camy.  And for 7 years I have been fixing all that - in 5 weeks I am done, 100%.  Put that in your pipe and smoke it, I'll never be going back because I had the backbone to do what was needed to change who I was.

I rubbed it in, too.  Many would call me a dick, but I'm telling you, that place either changes you like I changed, or it makes you worse.  I care abot this kid (he's 23 actually) like a brother.  I mades ure he understood we'd be BBQing, fishing, and drinking a cold beer while he sat there wondering why he'd been so stupid.  

Say a prayer for him if you would, y'all.  That place will either beat him down or beat him up, and I can only pray he gets out and changes, rather than getting the "jail mentality" and going back.  I'm going to his arraignment tomorrow, so I'll update as far as the charges, but with what I know, he's looking at several years at least.  

I had  a similar friend in college.  The drugs really took a toll and it was becoming more and more difficult to stay friends with him.  It was painful, but, I eventually told him it was either the drugs or our friendship.  He chose the drugs and I haven't talked to him in about 2 years.  Was a great guy when he  wasn't smoking, but once he started smoking he changed into a totally different person, a totally worthless individual.  The road he was on was not going anywhere but down.  Now I have a ton of friends that are clean and are even more fun to be around.  I hope your friend cleans up his act.  You did everything you could do for him, but you can't live someone else' life.

It is a shame to watch a friend go through this sort of trouble. But. he made his choices of his own free will. Let him pay his debt and maybe he will learn something. Charles.  

I had a cousin who was almost as close as a brother to me, over the years I helped him in any way I could. Went to church with him, took him to Cali with me when I was in the Corps, I even had to beat his ass one night taking a knife away from him during a suicide attempt. I helped get him into rehab during two separate jail stays but he always back-slid right into the old lifestyle and if he couldn't get to his old friends who were lowlifes he found a new set of lowlifes to hang out with. Nothing worked, in March of 1998 Det. Ira Johnson, Phoenix P.D. led me into a grimy apartment next to I17 and Camelback to I.D. his body.  He died of an overdose.

I lost.

maybe his story will help me keep my kids from the same fate.

Been there.
My little brother would never listen to me, now he has multiple felonies under his belt, outstanding warrants, and is lucky I have no idea where he is.

Oh yeah, he's 22.

In my job every year I see about 200+ dudes like this go thru the "legal system." It made me go crazy trying to help all these guys--but guess what:

They are doing this to themselves; I ain't no shrink, but it's like they got this "slammer-wish" to get locked up; gives them a big thrill or something. Bragging rights to their buds. Like no one ever paid them any mind, and then, bingo! They are in-famous. I sure as hell can't figure it out.

Only one thing I know: unless/until they hit ultimate rock-bottom (hey, I mean like they gotta look up to see the crack in the sidewalk) I sure as hell can't help them. Until then, well...


"When the student is ready, the teacher will appear."