Too many of years of hyper-vigilance and disturbing experiences have left me with long bouts of insomnia, nightmares that would make a serial killer piss himself ect ect. Caffeine and alcohol just make it worse. Water (a lot of it), fruit juice and an electrolyte if I'm doing ranch work, are all I drink now.

I always liked Karl. Simple, but to the point.

Have you ever seen Billy Bob Thornton morph his face into "Karl". It's amazing the way he effortlessly contorts his face. No make up, no prosthetics........

Karl was a good dude. He only hacked up bad people (I think?).

One and sometimes two cups of coffee a day, if I miss it in the morning, no big deal.
Now when I was hooked on Dr Pepper, it was a whole different story. I was drinking 9 to 12 cans a day and on days off a couple of 2 Liter bottles a day. I had severe headaches when I started cutting down and for abut 2 weeks after I quit drinking them.
Drugs were never an option, as I had annual and random drug tests since I was 19 years old for over 42 years.

parole?

I skimmed through this thread thinking a lot of the posters are lying.

Most likely work related.

I was thinking “experienced” might be a better term.

yep sugar detox is a real thing

Sometimes I wonder how many years I have knocked off my life with the decisions I made with putting that trash in my body. It started in high school when I got hurt playing football and the emotional side of not being able to play or just well enough to play but couldn't perform like I had been. Before long I started going to parties and drinking. Soon after I was introduced to my first joint and then my first line of coke probably all in the first 6 months of veering off my course. Before long I was off the team and going hard with party people. I enjoyed it very much in the beginning but it wasn't long before it wasn't fun anymore but instead of quitting I went harder. Kept going faster, harder, more and more. Went to jail 6 times between 18 and 22. Wrecked several cars, went to the ER by ambulance twice. One day I was 23 years old and I had enough. An old friend gave me a job opportunity on the Texas coast near Lake Jackson, he shouldn't have knowing what I had become but he gave me a chance. I moved down there with what little I had and only 1 pair of pants and boots that got wet everyday walking through a creek at a jobsite. My first paycheck I bought more pants and a pair of water boots. I got clean and worked hard every single day for 6 years for that company. A few years later, I ended up getting 2 bachelor degrees from the University of Houston which led to my professional licenses. Met my wife and had 3 kids.

Of all the substances I put in my body the only two I still can't kick is nicotine and alcohol. Every so often I get so...I can't put a word on it but lets say 'frustrated' that I need something to relax, to take the edge off. Alcohol is my choice and will always be my choice but I need to stop using it because I drink until I pass out when I do drink. I'm trying to develop healthier habits like working out and Brailian Jiu Jitsu, been in it for 2 years now, just got my blue belt on Monday. Going in there 'frustrated' with grown men that are experts at grappling will choke that frustration out of you. Things are improving.

Thank you for your honesty. A rare thing on here. God's peace, strength, and comfort to you young man.

The old timers say if you get bit bit a rattlesnake, you will always have a measurable amount of venom in you. No matter what you cannot get it all out of your system.


Same thing goes for partying. If you ever partied hard and then quit, you know what I mean.

Lots of reasons people use drugs, some can’t control themselves and want to escape temporally . Some are looking to get numb, some just look for a good time.

At the root of every addiction though is a core issue that has not been delt with. The substance usage is just a symptom.

I partied from basically 15 until 40, never got into narcotics and quit smoking weed after high school. But I drank enough for a small village. At 40 I decided I was not going to be the "old guy" at the bar so I started taking the money I spent on drinking very week and putting it aside. 11 months later I paid cash for a $30K boat with it. I will prob have between 0-6 drinks a year. I still enjoy a glass of Bakers 13 around the holidays.

Funny you mention money saved. I went out every week to the same bar for an entire year. I was getting hooked up heavy too and my tab for the year was still $5800.

I was ignorant of a lot of things at that age, but that would had paid for a good elk hunt, down payment on a house, etc. I can’t say how much money I’ve spent in bars ( tens of thousands I would guess) but I hit it hard from age 21-30.

When you look at it with a different lens it’s kind of a waste of money

We spent a lot of time in Dallas and Ft Worth in the clubs. Nothing was cheap and we did not care, lol.

When the north tower of the Dallas county jail was being built I had to do some measuring to settle a dispute between subcontractors. After lunch one day a test was required to re-enter the site. Place was like a ghost town.

One could probably go through a ream of paper running CCHs around here.

Vodka and Tequila are my thing in moderation of course and never before 7pm.

No. Just say No!
I never was one to hang with anyone who did any dope.

I like this one, "dope".

For those born after 1975, Doper: One who uses illegal drugs. My dad is 89, this is his term of choice for drug users. He was a cop, he and all his partners used this term. I like it. I thought this was Wichita Falls local slang, never heard it anywhere else.

I'm not from Texas and this is a term my elders use(d).

It was a commonly used term in Southern California in the sixties.