Some of my former friends
 

Another post here on OOT got me thinking about my past. It asked how many consecutive days have you drank?

You can find it HERE

I started typing this out there and didn't want to highjack that thread. It made me realize how crazy my past was at times and how close I was to being like this forever. I was a past alcoholic (which I have long since beaten, I can now drink socially without problems). I hung around with some not to great people.

They were a bunch of 30 something degenerates (I was 19-20) and they were all alcoholics. Most of them are dead or in jail now. It was not a get a 6pack and watch the game type thing. It was drink until 3 am nightly, get up, drink an OJ or something and start again. Work was something I did little of during this time...but we always seemed to have money to eat and drink.

Not everyone would air their dirty laundry like this..but I could care less. Off the top of my head, here are some of my former "friends".

Mitch - died in 2003 of a herion overdose at 37.

Kenny - currenty in prision for selling coke serving a 7 year sentence. Kenny is 45.

Bill - Bill went to jail in 1990 or 91 for kidnapping a 33 year woman at a bar, crossing the state line into PA, raping her and beating her to near death. She died 6 months later of a lifelong illness that she had. I cannot remember what it was. The judge blamed Bill for excellerating her death. He has currently served 18 years of a 37 year sentence.

Warren - Warren was Bill's brother. He died 4 years ago at age 44. The official cause of death was a drug overdose. Friends and family find it fishy because while Warren was a MASSIVE alcoholic, he was not a drug user.

Alex - Alex was with Bill when Bill committed this rape. When they returned back home after it, Alex went to the police and reported the incident. He also testified against Bill at the trial and currently lives with Bill's former wife (I kid u not). Alex was the biggest alcoholic of the group in the early 90's and has since quit drinking. I believe if Bill is ever released from prison, he will kill Alex.

John M. - John died in 2001 from kidney failure. He was 39. In the 90's John would drink all day long and eat one meal a day right before he went to bed. He would then get up and do it all again the next day.

Ron - Ron was one of the heavier drinkers in this group. I lost track of him for about 8 years and then one day this past summer I saw him walking down the street carrying a case of beer in each hand. I kept driving.

John C. - John C was closer to my age that the others, only 3 years older than me. He was a heavy drinker and drug user. He moved to Texas in 2001 and was in prison 2 years later for Breaking and Entering. I believe he is still in prison.

Larry - Larry was a massive drinker as well back in the day. I ran into him as well over the summer. He claims to be sober living with wife and child and I believe him.

Jim V. - One of my best friend growing up, Jim is my age. Around 1992 he started using heroin and still does to this day. I did not see him for 3 years and then one day out of the blue he came to my house. He brought a friend with him who sat on my couch and fell asleep within 5 minutes. Jim himself was pretty messed up and I asked him to leave. I love this guy, but I cannot have anything to do with him until he gets off that stuff.

James - James was another lifelong friend that I knew since the 3rd grade. He is a herion addict. He has been in and out of prision for the past 10 years. He just finished a 3 year term for writing bad checks about a month ago. I tried to befriend and help him several years back but he ripped me off. First he stole $150 out my a checkbook sitting on my bar. After that I told him never to come around again. One day shortly after this, my gfs son Anthony was sleeping at home alone when our dogs started barking. It woke him up and he noticed someone was in the house. The intruder was alerted that some was home and ran out the back door. Anthony looked out and saw James running through our back yard. He had stolen my lawnmower and camcorder as well.

Kevin - Kevin was another of my good friends my age. His problem was Vicodin and Cocaine. He was an auto mechanic as well. One day we were on our way to a Deep Purple, Scorpians, Dio concert (2000 I believe) and the motor on my car blew. Kevin suggested I have the car towed to the garage he worked at. I agreed. I also gave him $500 to buy and replace the motor. He bought pills instead. Kevin still calls me to this day trying to be my friend. He claims he is now clean, but as you could imagine I don't want anything to do with ANY of these people.

Added after edit
I just remembered Steve. Steve was an a heavy drinker that hung himself 5 years ago over a girl. He was 37 at the time of his death and he set the scene up so the girl in question would be the one that found him (It was in his suicide note). She did.

Well there you go. And these are only the people I remember. I was not as bad as these people in terms of drugs or criminal acts, but I did drink as heavy as they did. My 20 year body was able to take it a lot better than theirs I guess. Plus I stopped drinking completely for 3 years shortly before I turned 22.

Re: Some of my former friends
 

Now that's what I call hanging out with the wrong crowd.

Re: Some of my former friends
 

i thought my friends were dirtbags.

Re: Some of my former friends
 

Send this to HBO and Showtime. This would make a great cable TV series.

Re: Some of my former friends
 

[ QUOTE ]
Send this to HBO and Showtime. This would make a great cable TV series.

[/ QUOTE ]


Seriously, I would love to know what the average day is like hanging out with a group like this.

Re: Some of my former friends
 

This is great stuff.

And by great I mean, exactly like my life but with better music.

Re: Some of my former friends
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Send this to HBO and Showtime. This would make a great cable TV series.

[/ QUOTE ]


Seriously, I would love to know what the average day is like hanging out with a group like this.

[/ QUOTE ]


I'm guessing drugs, alcohol, & armed robbery.

Re: Some of my former friends
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Send this to HBO and Showtime. This would make a great cable TV series.

[/ QUOTE ]

Seriously, I would love to know what the average day is like hanging out with a group like this.

[/ QUOTE ]

It was actually quite fun and how I met my wife, Gwynn. I lived in a house across the street from Kenny (in jail for coke). My wife was best friends with Kennys wife, but she was 100% clean. No drugs, little booze.

I had always flirted with Gwynn and tried to date her and was rejected. One day Bill came over Kennys and had some coke. He asked me if I wanted to shoot it. I agreed I would as I had never done it. My dad was a diabetic and had needles at home. I said I would go get a couple needles and come back. Gwynn pulled me into the other room and asked me if my head was on straight. She said she would go on a date with me if I didn't do the coke. I took her over the coke and the rest is history.

Re: Some of my former friends
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Send this to HBO and Showtime. This would make a great cable TV series.

[/ QUOTE ]

Seriously, I would love to know what the average day is like hanging out with a group like this.

[/ QUOTE ]

It was actually quite fun and how I met my wife, Gwynn. I lived in a house across the street from Kenny (in jail for coke). My wife was best friends with Kennys wife, but she was 100% clean. No drugs, little booze.

I had always flirted with Gwynn and tried to date her and was rejected. One day Bill came over Kennys and had some coke. He asked me if I wanted to shoot it. I agreed I would as I had never done it. My dad was a diabetic and had needles at home. I said I would go get a couple needles and come back. Gwynn pulled me into the other room and asked me if my head was on straight. She said she would go on a date with me if I didn't do the coke. I took her over the coke and the rest is history.

[/ QUOTE ]

I just called Dom, we start shooting this as the pilot next Monday.

Re: Some of my former friends
 

OP after rereading your posts it sounds like you live in Baltimore. Crossing my fingers that the answer is yes...

Re: Some of my former friends
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Send this to HBO and Showtime. This would make a great cable TV series.

[/ QUOTE ]


Seriously, I would love to know what the average day is like hanging out with a group like this.

[/ QUOTE ]


I'm guessing drugs, alcohol, & armed robbery.

[/ QUOTE ]

drugs - yes

alcohol - yes

armed robbery - no, I never stole and MOST of these guys didn't.

[ QUOTE ]

OP after rereading your posts it sounds like you live in Baltimore. Crossing my fingers that the answer is yes...


[/ QUOTE ]
Struthers, OH

Re: Some of my former friends
 

Teddy sniffing glue, he was 12 years old
Fell from the roof on East Two-nine
Cathy was 11 when she pulled the plug
On 26 reds and a bottle of wine
Bobby got leukemia, 14 years old
He looked like 65 when he died
He was a friend of mine

Those are people who died, died
They were all my friends, and they died

G-berg and Georgie let their gimmicks go rotten
So they died of hepatitis in upper Manhattan
Sly in Vietnam took a bullet in the head
Bobby OD'd on Drano on the night that he was wed
They were two more friends of mine
Two more friends that died

Those are people who died, died
They were all my friends, and they died

Mary took a dry dive from a hotel room
Bobby hung himself from a cell in the tombs
Judy jumped in front of a subway train
Eddie got slit in the jugular vein
And Eddie, I miss you more than all the others
And I salute you brother

Those are people who died, died
They were all my friends, and they died

Herbie pushed Tony from the Boys' Club roof
Tony thought that his rage was just some goof
But Herbie sure gave Tony some bitchen proof
"Hey," Herbie said, "Tony, can you fly?"
But Tony couldn't fly, Tony died

Those are people who died, died
They were all my friends, and they died

Brian got busted on a narco rap
He beat the rap by rattin' on some bikers
He said, "Hey, I know it's dangerous, but it sure beats Riker's"
But the next day he got offed by the very same bikers

Those are people who died, died
They were all my friends, and they died

Teddy sniffing glue, he was 12 years old
Fell from the roof on East Two-nine
Cathy was 11 when she pulled the plug
On 26 reds and a bottle of wine
Bobby got leukemia, 14 years old
He looked like 65 when he died
He was a friend of mine

Those are people who died, died
They were all my friends, and they died

G-berg and Georgie let their gimmicks go rotten
So they died of hepatitis in upper Manhattan
Sly in Vietnam took a bullet in the head
Bobby OD'd on Drano on the night that he was wed
They were two more friends of mine
Two more friends that died

Those are people who died, died
They were all my friends, and they died

Mary took a dry dive from a hotel room
Bobby hung himself from a cell in the tombs
Judy jumped in front of a subway train
Eddie got slit in the jugular vein
And Eddie, I miss you more than all the others
And I salute you brother

Those are people who died, died
They were all my friends, and they died

Re: Some of my former friends
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Send this to HBO and Showtime. This would make a great cable TV series.

[/ QUOTE ]

Seriously, I would love to know what the average day is like hanging out with a group like this.

[/ QUOTE ]

It was actually quite fun and how I met my wife, Gwynn. I lived in a house across the street from Kenny (in jail for coke). My wife was best friends with Kennys wife, but she was 100% clean. No drugs, little booze.

I had always flirted with Gwynn and tried to date her and was rejected. One day Bill came over Kennys and had some coke. He asked me if I wanted to shoot it. I agreed I would as I had never done it. My dad was a diabetic and had needles at home. I said I would go get a couple needles and come back. Gwynn pulled me into the other room and asked me if my head was on straight. She said she would go on a date with me if I didn't do the coke. I took her over the coke and the rest is history.

[/ QUOTE ]

Great story to tell the grandkids

Re: Some of my former friends
 

Haha, Struthers sounds about right. I grew up in Hubbard and you described the type of people I used to know.

Re: Some of my former friends
 

[ QUOTE ]
I just called Dom, we start shooting this as the pilot next Monday.

[/ QUOTE ]

drug themed porn? i like it.

Re: Some of my former friends
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I just called Dom, we start shooting this as the pilot next Monday.

[/ QUOTE ]

drug themed porn? i like it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Had to be the only way they could afford the drugs.

Re: Some of my former friends
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Send this to HBO and Showtime. This would make a great cable TV series.

[/ QUOTE ]

Seriously, I would love to know what the average day is like hanging out with a group like this.

[/ QUOTE ]

It was actually quite fun and how I met my wife, Gwynn. I lived in a house across the street from Kenny (in jail for coke). My wife was best friends with Kennys wife, but she was 100% clean. No drugs, little booze.

I had always flirted with Gwynn and tried to date her and was rejected. One day Bill came over Kennys and had some coke. He asked me if I wanted to shoot it. I agreed I would as I had never done it. My dad was a diabetic and had needles at home. I said I would go get a couple needles and come back. Gwynn pulled me into the other room and asked me if my head was on straight. She said she would go on a date with me if I didn't do the coke. I took her over the coke and the rest is history.

[/ QUOTE ]


Dude, you would so be sucking dicks right now...


Keeper.

Re: Some of my former friends
 

[ QUOTE ]
I was a past alcoholic (which I have long since beaten, I can now drink socially without problems).

[/ QUOTE ]

No. You are still an alcoholic till the day you die or you never were to begin with. You never "beat" alcoholism, especially since you still drink. For a alcoholic there's no such thing as "social" drinking, it's just drinking. And yes this is from personal experience.

Still a very sobering cautionary story. Would make a good tv show.

Re: Some of my former friends
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Send this to HBO and Showtime. This would make a great cable TV series.

[/ QUOTE ]

Seriously, I would love to know what the average day is like hanging out with a group like this.

[/ QUOTE ]

It was actually quite fun and how I met my wife, Gwynn. I lived in a house across the street from Kenny (in jail for coke). My wife was best friends with Kennys wife, but she was 100% clean. No drugs, little booze.

I had always flirted with Gwynn and tried to date her and was rejected. One day Bill came over Kennys and had some coke. He asked me if I wanted to shoot it. I agreed I would as I had never done it. My dad was a diabetic and had needles at home. I said I would go get a couple needles and come back. Gwynn pulled me into the other room and asked me if my head was on straight. She said she would go on a date with me if I didn't do the coke. I took her over the coke and the rest is history.

[/ QUOTE ]

Awesome story!

Oh, and:

[ QUOTE ]
For a alcoholic there's no such thing as "social" drinking, it's just drinking. And yes this is from personal experience.

[/ QUOTE ]

Don't universalize your experience. I don't know if you've noticed, but not everyone is the same. I don't want to turn this into a harm reduction vs. AA debate, but just because there's no such thing as social drinking for you, doesn't mean that there's no such thing for everyone who ever abused alcohol.

Re: Some of my former friends
 

I feel the same way too KurtSF. When it was time to dry up, I was told I could never do it without help. I went to one AA meeting and thought it was total BS and hated it. Just not for me.

With only the support of my gf/now wife I stopped drinking for 3 years and abusing forever. I had to disassociate myself from this entire crowd and I did.

Re: Some of my former friends
 

[ QUOTE ]
No. You are still an alcoholic till the day you die or you never were to begin with. You never "beat" alcoholism, especially since you still drink. For a alcoholic there's no such thing as "social" drinking, it's just drinking.

[/ QUOTE ]


Someone's been brainwashed by AA

http://www.moderation.org/

Re: Some of my former friends
 

Hopefully not further moving the topic of the thread but,

the successs rate of AA is 10%

The success rate of people kicking booze cold turkey is 10%


These are the numbers of people who have stayed clean for a year. So lets not pretend that AA and it's philosophy is the end all be all.

Re: Some of my former friends
 

eve - stories plz.

Re: Some of my former friends
 

Some people are jumping to conclusions. I didnt mention AA so dont say I did, mkthanks.

Denial is not a river in Egpyt. Bye.

Re: Some of my former friends
 

My parents quit drinking within 2 weeks of eachother in 1990 and went to AA meetings for at least a solid year afterwards, they've been clean ever since, which, imo, is amazing.

They dragged me to some meetings when I was 11 years old and I'll tell ya...I get plastered occassionally like many adults, but alchohol will never consume me like it did these folks. I'm eternally grateful that I sat in on some of these meetings. That is a place where I never want to be ever again.

EDIT: Evagaba, great post. I really enjoyed reading it. I don't get to witness this type of plight on a daily basis.

Re: Some of my former friends
 

[ QUOTE ]
get up, drink an OJ or something

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[img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] wtf?

Re: Some of my former friends
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I was a past alcoholic (which I have long since beaten, I can now drink socially without problems).

[/ QUOTE ]

No. You are still an alcoholic till the day you die or you never were to begin with. You never "beat" alcoholism, especially since you still drink. For a alcoholic there's no such thing as "social" drinking, it's just drinking. And yes this is from personal experience.

Still a very sobering cautionary story. Would make a good tv show.

[/ QUOTE ]



This is an interesting issue. I was an alcoholic. Got full marks on the twenty questions. I drank to blackout; drank on my own; spent a few nights rough when I drank so much I couldn't get home; vomited my guts up and endured incredibly painful hangover countless times; put myself through so much social disgrace. I finally got myself to AA aged 25, went to meetings for six months, was sober a total of 22 months. But when I started drinking again, it didn't progress like they told me it would in AA. I just wasn't interested in booze any more. It wouldn't happen any more that I'd drink and not be able to stop. I wouldn't turn to booze as an escape.

Two things had changed. First, my social life wasn't so good, so I didn't have so many opportunities to drink, and I didn't look for them. But, mostly, while "sober" I had become a compulsive gambler. I was more interested in playing poker than getting drunk. It's now two years since I started drinking again, and I can count on one hand the number of times I did embarrassing things while drunk since then, and there haven't been times I've blacked out etc. Both the quantity and frequency of my drinking is now much, much less. Weeks pass without me having a drink now. I just lost interest in booze. Of course, I'm still an addict. Alcoholism is best looked at as a symptom of something else, a wider problem of being an addict, and so it's perfectly possible for an ex-alcoholic to be able to drink normally while he pursues another addiction.

Re: Some of my former friends
 

Yeah this thread has been horribly derailed, FU Borgland.

Anyway, back on topic, how about some interesting stories?

Re: Some of my former friends
 

eva, your post instantly reminded me of a good friend of mine. I went to visit him in Santa Barbara and he was living with people who were basically what you described, but the same age as him.

Its pretty damn sad seeing your friends live like that.

He doesn't live in SB anymore, nor does he live like that, but he's basically setup to be a substance abuser for the rest of his life. Just like his other brothers.

I honestly wouldn't be surprised in the next couple of years to hear that his older brother passes away from some stupid substance abuse issue. He's one of those guys who is 27, but looks in his mid 30's. He's liver is swollen already. Sad.

Re: Some of my former friends
 

[ QUOTE ]
One day we were on our way to a Deep Purple, Scorpians, Dio concert

[/ QUOTE ]

I think that says it all.

Re: Some of my former friends
 

[ QUOTE ]
Yeah this thread has been horribly derailed, FU Borgland.

Anyway, back on topic, how about some interesting stories?

[/ QUOTE ]

Wow, I just typed out 3 stories for over an hour, clicked submit and it said "Your form is no longer valid".

Ctl-C is your friend.

Re: Some of my former friends
 

just press back if that happens

Re: Some of my former friends
 

[ QUOTE ]
just press back if that happens

[/ QUOTE ]
This doesn't always work unfortunately.

Re: Some of my former friends
 

[ QUOTE ]
Yeah this thread has been horribly derailed, FU Borgland.

Anyway, back on topic, how about some interesting stories?

[/ QUOTE ]


In the interest of liability, anything here could be completely fictional.

Keeping with the friends theme:

Shorty: We call him that cause since he was 15 he's been about 6' 10". He may have at this point shot four people and managed to get off scott free each time. This kid went to jail for two weeks for something my brother did without a pip. I've been with him in a holding cell where a cop was trying to play little mind games with him, knocking us around and shorty's basic line at 16 was "If you actually have anything on me why the [censored] are we still talking." Basically this really "code" oriented guy who's been supporting his family since he was about thirteen and just can't really do anything other than deal. He's nineteen now and probably seen more random crazy crap than most anyone I know.


Philly: Friend of mine who joined up in the Marines with
me,southie kid, complete boozer. Some boot in the Marine’s
moves in with Phil and the new kid is wetting the bed every night. We try a couple times to take care of it in the platoon, then randomly one morning Philly is being hauled away to the brig. The story is Philly raped the hell out of the boot. Now, after talking to Phil he insists that he just passed out in the bathroom naked and when he woke up he got the urge to beat the [censored] out of the boot with a flash light. My jury is still out on that one.

Mark: Seriously most amazing womanizer I know. I've walked into his house before to find a gf topless, who when she went to get dressed, he just said "nah leave it off my boy's will like it." About two hours later he'd kick her out telling her another of his girlfriends was coming over. She'd leave and be back the next day. Last I saw him he had a random concubine of four different gorgeous women hanging with him. And whenever you ask these chicks why they put up with the crazyness they all reply "Well, it's Mark you know..." (completely independent of each other) He once went to jail for insurance fraud. He figured that if he sold his car for cash he could report it stolen and get the insurance money too. I don't think this guy ever doesn't have a scam. Currently he consolidates member accounts for a hotel chain; he's created four different accounts that have "clients" stay at hotels every night. He earns huge money through selling gift certificates and airline miles earned this way.

I got couple others, I'll add in an edit.

Re: Some of my former friends
 

OP, the story on how you meet your wife is a amazing story. Great thread btw, I really enjoyed it.

Re: Some of my former friends
 

RustedCorpse - I can assure you there is no fiction here. And Mark is my idol.

Ok I will try this again. As I said I wrote out 3 stories but I guess the form timed out. Keep in mind I am 38 now and this happened 20 years ago.

This one is about Kevin. He was 19 and I was 18. He had just broken up with this GF of 3 years. It was summer and Church festival time. Our local catholic church St. Nicks was having it's annual festival and Kevin and I were at the beer tent. (I think the legal drinking age was 19 back then, but it was not enforced here) We were both already lit.

Kevin walks away to go talk to someone else. His ex-gf spots me and comes over and starts to chat. She was not aware Kevin was with me. He spots this and immediately thinks I am trying to tag his ex. Not even close, but that is what he thought.

He is getting upset over this and starting a scene at the beer tent. I attempt to calm him down, but it is not working. After a bit he is still angered, but more at seeing his ex and not at me. I suggest we leave and he agrees.

We get into his car (and I can see the smoke coming of the top of his head). His car is parked on the top of a 6 foot hill. At the bottom of the hill is the Struthers Baseball Fields surrounded by a chain link fence. Instead of backing up into the parking lot, Kevin puts the car in forward, drives down the hill, over the fence right onto the baseball field. He proceeds to start doing donuts on the field with the amazed festival goers looking on.

I am screaming at him to stop and he is just laughing. He finally stops the donuts, runs over another section of the fence out of the field and heads for the street.

He takes the first possible right once we are on the road. Coming right at us in the opposite lane is a police crusier with it's lights on. (Presumably coming for Kevin). He looks at me and says "Watch this" and them slams right into the crusier. JESUS.

He then backs his car up and takes off. He takes the first left possible, stops his car, looks at me and says "Dude, you gotta get in the drivers seat". LOL

I jump out of the car and start to run and then realize that I did nothing wrong and stop. Then, BOOM, BOOM , BOOM, we are surrounded by Struthers Finest. They tell me to take a hike and Kevin is hauled to jail.

He did a 6 month stint in county and has to pay $1500 for damage to the crusier. I know for a fact he still owed this money over 10 years later.

Re: Some of my former friends
 

[ QUOTE ]
He takes the first left possible, stops his car, looks at me and says "Dude, you gotta get in the drivers seat".

[/ QUOTE ]

The guys got balls.

Re: Some of my former friends
 

Evagaba I liked the story of how you and your wife got together.

Re: Some of my former friends
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
He takes the first left possible, stops his car, looks at me and says "Dude, you gotta get in the drivers seat".

[/ QUOTE ]

The guys got balls.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'd like to know how he possibly thought that anyone would go along with this? Good story though.

Re: Some of my former friends
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
He takes the first left possible, stops his car, looks at me and says "Dude, you gotta get in the drivers seat".

[/ QUOTE ]

The guys got balls.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'd like to know how he possibly thought that anyone would go along with this? Good story though.

[/ QUOTE ]

If he would have jumped into the passenger seat before the cops got there, I bet he would have had a better than 50/50 shot of convincing them that the guy running away was the driver.