Just Say No | Teen Ink

Just Say No

December 16, 2011
By Anonymous

You hear commercials all the time saying stay above the influence, not even once and just say no, but how many people really take this advice? I didn’t, I blew the advice over my shoulder saying just a couple of time won’t hurt. With one decision my life changed, with one decision I went to having everything, to having nothing at all. My name is Charles and I’m the man on the corner holding the sign needs help.
I was about fifteen when I was first offered a cigarette I took it with only one thing on my mind, fitting in. I began to make friends with the same interest; addictions. When I was sixteen I was then introduced to weed. Soon after, my grades began to drop in school and I found myself in trouble. It was my senior year when I began to do meth. Everything began to go down the drain. I began to steal money from my parents to get my hands on meth it was the only thing on my mind, I would do anything for it. Two weeks before graduation my friends and I were celebrating graduating. The next day I found myself behind bars not remembering the night before, with my parents not even willing to bail me out of jail. I dug a hole so deep my parents had no respect for me and my decisions. Drugs were taking over my life. I wasn’t able to walk at graduation and to make it worse my parents kicked me out of the house with nothing but a pair of clothes, shoes, a jacket and a blanket. Although living in these harsh conditions, I didn’t change my ways I continued my drug abuse. I slept in allies at night while during the day I would beg people in the streets for money. I did this everyday for twenty years thinking I was happy but that all changed about two years ago.
All I can remember are people talking around me, flashing lights blue and red and a man saying he looks about forty and he needs major help. I woke up about three months later recovering from a coma. That night I was found unconscious and choking on my salvia with a very high blood pressure and fast heart rate. I was then sent to the nearest hospital. The doctors saw I wasn’t doing very well and I began to show signs of a heart attack. I was then given CPR which was a success and was able to hold on a little bit longer. Shortly after CPR I was taken to intensive care and was given a drug to slow my heart rate. A couple of hours later I had another heart attack and CPR once again was able to save me. And there I was laying in a hhospitaled colleting my thoughts. I never wanted to experience almost losing my life like that again. Once I was released from the hospital I began to turn my life around. I wanted to be clean.
My name is Charles and I’m the man on the corner holding the sign needs help. I hope hearing my story will touch your life and take my advice; just say no, only a couple of times can change your life forever.



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