I once had a friend in college who showed a lot of promise during his first year. He had the potential to graduate with honors in class, and it showed in the way he carried and handled himself. He was one of those people whose abilities were off-the-scale, and if you have had the chance to meet him at that time, you would probably say the same.
But he had one big character flaw, if you can call it that: he was an extreme loner. Somehow, he never got the hang of going out with other people. He was seen as one of the school’s biggest nerds. No one wanted to get close to him.
He could have gone on with his life and accepted this stereotyping as a passing phase – that it would not last, but his inner desire to be accepted overwhelmed his rational thinking. And so he made a choice: he would abandon his academic life in lieu of a “more active” social life. There began his downfall. He drank and drank with his buddies to no end, and began to use drugs as well.
As life would have it, things went out of control, and he found himself unable to escape his situation. His body grew dependent on the drugs, and he started to do petty crimes such as shoplifting just to sustain his habit. He dropped out of school, and he seemed to have lived off the grid; no one could contact him at all in any way.
I saw him again four years later. It turns out that he was in a rehabilitation center during the time he was gone. He admits how grave his mistakes early in life were, but he also understands that he can never live his life the same way ever again. He looks forward to a different and more meaningful future, though.
Tags: peer pressure, teen alcohol abuse, teen alcoholism, teen drug abuse, teen rehabilitation program
#1 by Timothy Sinn on February 2nd, 2010
To understand this young man is to have been there and walked in his shoes.
I was quit the opposite but so much the same.
It does not matter what side of the fence you are on the grass seems greener on the other side. It is remarkable what the lack of self esteem and self respect can cause one to do to fill the void.
I went to extremes to fit in. Even though I had lots of friends and most people enjoyed my company, I struggled with my identity. I had a few physical defects, and I hated how skinny I was. Plus I felt less than, when it came to my smarts. This all started when I was in the first grade.
Other kids called me and a few others dummy. They had different sections in the class that were taught at different levels. Our particular row was in slow section for reading. They did this row by row from the slowest to the smartest, that was the way they did it then.
I covered up the pain by being a class clown, and I was good at sports so at recess I felt more like an equal. This has haunted me to this day.
Alcohol I Found when I was 17 and it was the answer that filled the void of my poor self esteem and self respect.
30 some years later,16 of those years were spent in prison. The other 14 or so years was in and out of treatment centers and psycho wards. If I was not there or in prison I was strung out on drugs on the streets.
I can still touch my child hood through my memories, at times it seems it is real time in my memories. Now I know I am worthy.
Check out my sight and share. That is what makes things happen. I look forward to meeting some of you.
Sincerely, Tim