I was never exposed to any drugs as a kid, so I did try a couple and found one that I liked. Although I never purchased any, I did make it a ritual, going to the Limelight every sunday night hanging with my "friends". We'd go out every night.
One of the many mornings, while hanging out an an after hour place, snoring one line of coke after another, I looked around and thought to myself "wow, it's 9am in the morning, what are all these people doing here? What a bunch of losers" Than I realized, I'm there too, I was one of them. I made up my mind right than and there to STOP. I didn't come to America to get "Fucked up" night after night, wasting my life away, cause that's all I did.
All my "friends" didn't care having me around anymore, because I said "no" when offered a line. And I'm glad they pushed me away. They were poison to me. I started to focus on my goals and began working on my music.
I'm not an angel, I enjoy having drinks when I'm out at a club. Yes, I'm in the music business and many consider it to be a cool thing, especially in LA, well, sorry, you ain't that cool in my book and I don't care if that makes me not cool in yours. I get high on music. I get high on life.
I don't judge people. You do whatever you want, as long as it doesn't affect my life and you don't push it on me.
The reason I'm writing this...
One of my best friends is going through some tough times right now because of drug and alcohol addiction. Not everyone can handle their liquor and drugs and do things in moderation. It hurts to see people close to me destroy themselves.
My message goes out to all you kids who think it's cool. Yeh, it sounds so Rock'n Roll but honestly, most people have lost a ton because of it. So next time you are tempted, think about the consequences. Think about how much you have to lose if you "lose control" (your friends, your job/career, your life!!!).
Depression seems to be a huge factor and the doctors love you for it. You keep them in business. Truth is, no drug can cure the real problem that lies deep within yourself. There's a huge difference between partying here and there, having a blast vs doing drugs consistently. It's easy to get hooked on anti-depressants. Just another addiction, a cover up. I encourage people to seek help using a holistic approach and surrounding yourself with people you love and trust and aren't tempting you. There's plenty of support!
SAY NO to DRUGS.
Self-destruction comes from hatred, from disapproval. Love yourself like you would love another person. Treat yourself like you would treat someone you truly love and care about.
Happiness can only be found from within. No one outside yourself can make you happy. You might not be able to find it on your own at first but with the right support of friends and professionals, you can win your life and power back. You can learn to love, accept and respect yourself.
Am I saying be a saint? No, be a rebel, make a difference, provoke, confront and elevate. You can do it without drugs.
What I'm saying is that IF you know you might have a problem OR you know people that do, don't wait until it's too late. Be supportive or seek support. And support sometimes means "tough love". Shutting them out until they are willing to get help.
I know this is a pretty deep subject, please spread the awareness and teach the 21st century kids to just say NO! How about that for POWER! ?
xoxo
JVB
2 comments:
This is a great post, and it's really awesome you put this up at the risk of losing some cool points. I myself had many many years lost in the world of drugs. Acid, coke, meth, alcohol, you name it. Weed wasnt a drug, it was just something we did while we waited for the drugs to come. It started when I was real young, I was never good at making friends, so I found myself in the guidance of these older kids. Being only 14 yrs old, 18 yr olds with mohawks and tattoos were like gods! They made me feel accepted for once but used me and the other young kids as guinnea pigs. We would snort the coke first and let them know if it needed to be chopped up more etc. They started feeing my friend paul acid when he was 9 yrs old. I still wear the scars that cover my back from horse whips to make us stronger. The point of all this that I am writing is that there is no beauty within that world, and there are no answers there either. As crappy as life can seem, going down that road will only lead too a much more vivid nightmare, guaranteed. Depression sucks, and it invites you like a warm blanket. For real depressives it feels almost comfortable to be depressed even though it is so agonizing. I finally made it out of that situation, by just embracing those feelings and channeling through my music. Real friends are rare and so people shouldnt beat themselves up cause they have trouble finding them. 9 times out of 10 its the world around you that sucks, not you. Be better than that crap, be above it. I battle depression every day of my life, and constantly feel like ignored or not good enough, just as I did 16 yrs ago. But now I just scream it out into the mic, or shred it out on guitar. And just one positive feedback on my music feels better than any of that crap i used to put in my body. So that's that.
This is a great post, and it's really awesome you put this up at the risk of losing some cool points. I myself had many many years lost in the world of drugs. Acid, coke, meth, alcohol, you name it. Weed wasnt a drug, it was just something we did while we waited for the drugs to come. It started when I was real young, I was never good at making friends, so I found myself in the guidance of these older kids. Being only 14 yrs old, 18 yr olds with mohawks and tattoos were like gods! They made me feel accepted for once but used me and the other young kids as guinnea pigs. We would snort the coke first and let them know if it needed to be chopped up more etc. They started feeing my friend paul acid when he was 9 yrs old. I still wear the scars that cover my back from horse whips to make us stronger. The point of all this that I am writing is that there is no beauty within that world, and there are no answers there either. As crappy as life can seem, going down that road will only lead too a much more vivid nightmare, guaranteed. Depression sucks, and it invites you like a warm blanket. For real depressives it feels almost comfortable to be depressed even though it is so agonizing. I finally made it out of that situation, by just embracing those feelings and channeling through my music. Real friends are rare and so people shouldnt beat themselves up cause they have trouble finding them. 9 times out of 10 its the world around you that sucks, not you. Be better than that crap, be above it. I battle depression every day of my life, and constantly feel like ignored or not good enough, just as I did 16 yrs ago. But now I just scream it out into the mic, or shred it out on guitar. And just one positive feedback on my music feels better than any of that crap i used to put in my body. So that's that.
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