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Dope Stories- S1 E1
Names and places may have been changed out of respect for all those involved.
December, 2011
Things were looking up for me. I had just purchased this beautiful 1988 Ford Mustang GT Convertible. It needed some love but all in do time. I had just put her away a month earlier to keep her from the harsh Ohio Winter. She was in a garage my best friends grandmother owned. I was feeling good. I had a month and a half under my belt. I had recently finished my second stay at a rehab facility. I was newly single and moved back home with my father after a long term relationship didnt work out. Sobriety in 2011 was alot different than Sobriety today. I was put on Subutex. Thats a medication used to help addicts get off drugs easier. If done in the right setting, time, dose, It works well for most. I was back working my heart out at some factory but I couldnt have been happier. I slowly pulled myself off the Subutex and I wanted to do something fun like ride dirt bikes and four wheelers. That was my childhood dream. My father didnt like the idea and I wasnt the "favorite" child so it never happened. My Older brother lived on the other side of town at the time and had a garage we could use to wrench on some snow mobiles. That was the plan. The factory I worked for at the time was amazing for the shift and pay for that time. I worked Weekends. 1 8-hour shift on Friday 11pm to 7am, a 12-hour shift on Saturday 7pm-7am and a 4-hour Shift on Sunday 7pm to 11pm. The factory Unfortunately mandated a 40 hr work week permanently that same week of 3 12s on 2 off 2 on 3 12 hour shifts off. Before that Minimum wage in Ohio was 6.25 an hr at that time I believe. I made 15/hr + a bonus. I was basically short 1 day of regular 5 days a week pay, so it wasnt bad. Unfortunately that week was the firat to change at work and in many other wayss. We Recycled plastic bottles. They would wash them, sort them, than grind them up into carpet fiber. You would be amazed with how many bottles of coke a cola is in your carpet. lol. A year before I had gotten a kidney stone stuck and lost my job, insurance, everything to it. The doctors over prescribed me and then cut me off. Waited for surgery for 6 months. I finally went in and had Lithotripsy done. Thats basically where a urologist dr uses sound waves to break a kidney stone into smaller pieces you pass. I was glad to be back on my feet again. I was still going to meetings on Tuesdays and my IOP (Intensive Outpatient Program) which was basically a group of 5 addicts talking and a lead teacher type guiding us. It was ok, but most people didnt take it seriously. It was manatory that we had to attend 2 AA meetings or 2 NA. We could do one on the computer, but the other had to be in person. I remember The AAs were the worst in my hometown. It was my opinion that these "Dry Drunks" were being pissy with us because they looked at dope or pills as satanic. The thought they were better than us. Most cases I didnt talk other than the bare minimum because their were a few guys who were known to start static with the NA type people. (people fighting opiod addiction) I believe it was the day after that meeting I stopped by a friends house his name was James. James went to school with me, we hung out a tad bit but when I got into drugs he was a social butterfly. Addicts love friends like that. I cant say I used him because he did the same to me. I had buyers and a few sellers and he needed help flipping some stuff but teally needed helpfinding stuff. I think about it alot, and I truly believe if they would just bring real pills back and sold them in stores with a "Dont sue me uf you die" type thing. Anyway I walk into James drug den which is a giant mansion his mom and step father owned. The garage was where we spent many night's. When I get there I notice a younger kid doing a line of powder. James introduced me to Adam.. He was a bit annoying to james but he didnt mimd because the kid always did 90% of what he had with anyone around him. In the world of addiction, Drugs come first. ALWAYS. Adam seemed like any other ordinary young man where I came from. Work hard, Party Harder. We shot the shit (talked) for a good 30 minutes about everyday things. I had mentioned wanting to get a dirt bike and asked James out of the blue cIf he knew of anybody selling one cheap" He looked over to Adam and said "Adam has a bunch of shit" Adam confirmed this and basically told me he had a dirt bike, a moped and a 3 wheeler from the 1980s. I believe it was called a "Big Wheel" Unfortunately the dirt bike was junk, but the other two had been relative good condition. Adam showed me some pictures on his phone and I took a shot giving a low ball offer of $125 for both and Adam immediately took the offer. Adam told me he lived just a few houses down the road. I needed a truck so I called my brother who decided to put down half the money also. I had no interest in the Big Wheel 3 wheeler, but the moped I thought was really cool. My brother met us at Adams house. Nobody was home besides Adam and he led us to his garage which was stuffed full of really cool 1980s relics. It was very nostalgic. As many may know you need legal documentation for Mopeds and most other ATV like machines. Adam seemed trustworthy and legit and told me he would have them by Monday because thats when the bank would be opened again. I believe this was a Thursday afternoon. Adams B day party was Friday and wanted that time to himself as any 18 year old would want. James told me "He had these as long as ive known him, you can trust him". So I made the decision, payed the man and slipped james a $20 for brokering/facilitating the deal. In the world of drugs, nothing is Free.. The reason these items were sold at such a bargain was because Adams Birthday was coming up and like any young man turning 18, Its a big deal. While my brother took the Bikes and 3 wheeler back to his house I stayed with Adam and James for a bit helping them close the filled garage because we had to move a bunch of stuff to get the items I wanted out. I noticed a shelf of trophies. "Hey, what are the trophies for?" I asked. Adam then went on to tell me a list of accolades of 5 or 6 different things. Including a pending scholarship to OSU. OSU is short for Ohio State University. It is the best of the best in Ohio. The Northeast version of Yale or Harvard. The kid had a big brain and was going places. I was in awe of just how much the young man accomplished in such a short time. We pulled the garage door down and locked it. In the back of my mind something didnt feel right but I couldnt put my finger on it. I ignored it as we walked back to James house in the woods where my car was parked. "125 dollars for 500 dollars worth of 80s nostalgia! " I kept reminding myself. As we got to my car. I gave james a dab (handshake) and said my thank yous. "James is he going to be ok with this money?" he smiled and said "The kid may be niave but hes no dumbass, he will be fine." James resushered me. I shook Adams hand and said "Happy Birthday brother, Ill talk to you Monday" Adam was happier than a horse shitting. "Thanks man, I get the paperwork ready" and we exchanged phone numbers. It wasnt but 2 minutes later and Adam was on his phone looking for party favors. I walked out heading on my way. As much as it was a big deal to me it wasnt the only thing I had going on at the time. I went to work that friday evening stopping at my brothers beforehand to check out what we had just got. They looked amazing and he was getting them running.I went to work and came home in morning to sleep. I woke to my phone going off. I looked at it and it said 10 missed phone calls. "Who the fuck is calling me this early?" I started to go through the list 9 of the 10 were from James. With a message that read CALL ME ASAP. I will never forget the tone of James voice. "Hey man you aint going to believe this, but we lost him Adam this morning " By the tone in his voice, I realized he was telling me this young man took his life on his 18th birthday. It felt like someone literally punched me in the gut and pulled my feet from underneath me. Further details revealed the worst.. Adam had taken that 125 dollars and spent it all on black market drugs. Xannax, cocaine Oxycottin, and other opiods on top of drinking a 12 pack of beer. I cannot emphasize how dangerous that is. We always called it the dangerous duo of heartstoppers. The xannax isnt that fatal by itself but pairing it with Opiods and painkillers makes it 20x worse and the alcohol is what usually does the adddict in. Alcohol is poison and your body needs to rid itself of that poison but cant if the body is in sleep mode. It turns the blood in the heart into jello almost and the heart just gives out. As the day went on I couldnt shake the darkness the consumed me. "You payed that kid to kill himself!" My concious was heavy. I blamed myself. Unfortunately bigger probelms were on the horizon as I found the details being specificly th a t his mother went to wake him and found her baby dead on his 18th birthday. Her only son. Scholarships that will never be forfilled. A football team missing a player. a Graduation without its graduate. I called my brother told him a few details and said "Ill be over" Remember the Moped couldnt be used without a signed title. Most likely the same for the Big Wheel. We didnt know if the police were coming or how much they knew. James assured me that the family didnt care about the bikes, but I couldnt look at them. What was eventually decided was that the 3 wheeler was sold only enough to get our money back for both plus maybe 50 bucks. The Moped was discarded never to be found in 20 different pieces. That night I fell of the wagon hard. Probably the hardest ever. It took a long time and alot of therapy for me to understand there were other forces at play, Such as other "friends" who left him for dead. It was such a tragedy. Drugs is a game of russian roulette, sometimes it never makes sense but most dont make it out alive. Be thankful for the life you have but dont forget where you came from..
James would end up facing a similar fate in 2018-19. Drugs are not worth life. RIP 🙏 For those we lost but nevr forget.
December, 2011
Things were looking up for me. I had just purchased this beautiful 1988 Ford Mustang GT Convertible. It needed some love but all in do time. I had just put her away a month earlier to keep her from the harsh Ohio Winter. She was in a garage my best friends grandmother owned. I was feeling good. I had a month and a half under my belt. I had recently finished my second stay at a rehab facility. I was newly single and moved back home with my father after a long term relationship didnt work out. Sobriety in 2011 was alot different than Sobriety today. I was put on Subutex. Thats a medication used to help addicts get off drugs easier. If done in the right setting, time, dose, It works well for most. I was back working my heart out at some factory but I couldnt have been happier. I slowly pulled myself off the Subutex and I wanted to do something fun like ride dirt bikes and four wheelers. That was my childhood dream. My father didnt like the idea and I wasnt the "favorite" child so it never happened. My Older brother lived on the other side of town at the time and had a garage we could use to wrench on some snow mobiles. That was the plan. The factory I worked for at the time was amazing for the shift and pay for that time. I worked Weekends. 1 8-hour shift on Friday 11pm to 7am, a 12-hour shift on Saturday 7pm-7am and a 4-hour Shift on Sunday 7pm to 11pm. The factory Unfortunately mandated a 40 hr work week permanently that same week of 3 12s on 2 off 2 on 3 12 hour shifts off. Before that Minimum wage in Ohio was 6.25 an hr at that time I believe. I made 15/hr + a bonus. I was basically short 1 day of regular 5 days a week pay, so it wasnt bad. Unfortunately that week was the firat to change at work and in many other wayss. We Recycled plastic bottles. They would wash them, sort them, than grind them up into carpet fiber. You would be amazed with how many bottles of coke a cola is in your carpet. lol. A year before I had gotten a kidney stone stuck and lost my job, insurance, everything to it. The doctors over prescribed me and then cut me off. Waited for surgery for 6 months. I finally went in and had Lithotripsy done. Thats basically where a urologist dr uses sound waves to break a kidney stone into smaller pieces you pass. I was glad to be back on my feet again. I was still going to meetings on Tuesdays and my IOP (Intensive Outpatient Program) which was basically a group of 5 addicts talking and a lead teacher type guiding us. It was ok, but most people didnt take it seriously. It was manatory that we had to attend 2 AA meetings or 2 NA. We could do one on the computer, but the other had to be in person. I remember The AAs were the worst in my hometown. It was my opinion that these "Dry Drunks" were being pissy with us because they looked at dope or pills as satanic. The thought they were better than us. Most cases I didnt talk other than the bare minimum because their were a few guys who were known to start static with the NA type people. (people fighting opiod addiction) I believe it was the day after that meeting I stopped by a friends house his name was James. James went to school with me, we hung out a tad bit but when I got into drugs he was a social butterfly. Addicts love friends like that. I cant say I used him because he did the same to me. I had buyers and a few sellers and he needed help flipping some stuff but teally needed helpfinding stuff. I think about it alot, and I truly believe if they would just bring real pills back and sold them in stores with a "Dont sue me uf you die" type thing. Anyway I walk into James drug den which is a giant mansion his mom and step father owned. The garage was where we spent many night's. When I get there I notice a younger kid doing a line of powder. James introduced me to Adam.. He was a bit annoying to james but he didnt mimd because the kid always did 90% of what he had with anyone around him. In the world of addiction, Drugs come first. ALWAYS. Adam seemed like any other ordinary young man where I came from. Work hard, Party Harder. We shot the shit (talked) for a good 30 minutes about everyday things. I had mentioned wanting to get a dirt bike and asked James out of the blue cIf he knew of anybody selling one cheap" He looked over to Adam and said "Adam has a bunch of shit" Adam confirmed this and basically told me he had a dirt bike, a moped and a 3 wheeler from the 1980s. I believe it was called a "Big Wheel" Unfortunately the dirt bike was junk, but the other two had been relative good condition. Adam showed me some pictures on his phone and I took a shot giving a low ball offer of $125 for both and Adam immediately took the offer. Adam told me he lived just a few houses down the road. I needed a truck so I called my brother who decided to put down half the money also. I had no interest in the Big Wheel 3 wheeler, but the moped I thought was really cool. My brother met us at Adams house. Nobody was home besides Adam and he led us to his garage which was stuffed full of really cool 1980s relics. It was very nostalgic. As many may know you need legal documentation for Mopeds and most other ATV like machines. Adam seemed trustworthy and legit and told me he would have them by Monday because thats when the bank would be opened again. I believe this was a Thursday afternoon. Adams B day party was Friday and wanted that time to himself as any 18 year old would want. James told me "He had these as long as ive known him, you can trust him". So I made the decision, payed the man and slipped james a $20 for brokering/facilitating the deal. In the world of drugs, nothing is Free.. The reason these items were sold at such a bargain was because Adams Birthday was coming up and like any young man turning 18, Its a big deal. While my brother took the Bikes and 3 wheeler back to his house I stayed with Adam and James for a bit helping them close the filled garage because we had to move a bunch of stuff to get the items I wanted out. I noticed a shelf of trophies. "Hey, what are the trophies for?" I asked. Adam then went on to tell me a list of accolades of 5 or 6 different things. Including a pending scholarship to OSU. OSU is short for Ohio State University. It is the best of the best in Ohio. The Northeast version of Yale or Harvard. The kid had a big brain and was going places. I was in awe of just how much the young man accomplished in such a short time. We pulled the garage door down and locked it. In the back of my mind something didnt feel right but I couldnt put my finger on it. I ignored it as we walked back to James house in the woods where my car was parked. "125 dollars for 500 dollars worth of 80s nostalgia! " I kept reminding myself. As we got to my car. I gave james a dab (handshake) and said my thank yous. "James is he going to be ok with this money?" he smiled and said "The kid may be niave but hes no dumbass, he will be fine." James resushered me. I shook Adams hand and said "Happy Birthday brother, Ill talk to you Monday" Adam was happier than a horse shitting. "Thanks man, I get the paperwork ready" and we exchanged phone numbers. It wasnt but 2 minutes later and Adam was on his phone looking for party favors. I walked out heading on my way. As much as it was a big deal to me it wasnt the only thing I had going on at the time. I went to work that friday evening stopping at my brothers beforehand to check out what we had just got. They looked amazing and he was getting them running.I went to work and came home in morning to sleep. I woke to my phone going off. I looked at it and it said 10 missed phone calls. "Who the fuck is calling me this early?" I started to go through the list 9 of the 10 were from James. With a message that read CALL ME ASAP. I will never forget the tone of James voice. "Hey man you aint going to believe this, but we lost him Adam this morning " By the tone in his voice, I realized he was telling me this young man took his life on his 18th birthday. It felt like someone literally punched me in the gut and pulled my feet from underneath me. Further details revealed the worst.. Adam had taken that 125 dollars and spent it all on black market drugs. Xannax, cocaine Oxycottin, and other opiods on top of drinking a 12 pack of beer. I cannot emphasize how dangerous that is. We always called it the dangerous duo of heartstoppers. The xannax isnt that fatal by itself but pairing it with Opiods and painkillers makes it 20x worse and the alcohol is what usually does the adddict in. Alcohol is poison and your body needs to rid itself of that poison but cant if the body is in sleep mode. It turns the blood in the heart into jello almost and the heart just gives out. As the day went on I couldnt shake the darkness the consumed me. "You payed that kid to kill himself!" My concious was heavy. I blamed myself. Unfortunately bigger probelms were on the horizon as I found the details being specificly th a t his mother went to wake him and found her baby dead on his 18th birthday. Her only son. Scholarships that will never be forfilled. A football team missing a player. a Graduation without its graduate. I called my brother told him a few details and said "Ill be over" Remember the Moped couldnt be used without a signed title. Most likely the same for the Big Wheel. We didnt know if the police were coming or how much they knew. James assured me that the family didnt care about the bikes, but I couldnt look at them. What was eventually decided was that the 3 wheeler was sold only enough to get our money back for both plus maybe 50 bucks. The Moped was discarded never to be found in 20 different pieces. That night I fell of the wagon hard. Probably the hardest ever. It took a long time and alot of therapy for me to understand there were other forces at play, Such as other "friends" who left him for dead. It was such a tragedy. Drugs is a game of russian roulette, sometimes it never makes sense but most dont make it out alive. Be thankful for the life you have but dont forget where you came from..
James would end up facing a similar fate in 2018-19. Drugs are not worth life. RIP 🙏 For those we lost but nevr forget.
