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.