I was off at Florida State and on my own for the very first time. In college it becomes kind of a game, knowing what bars are offering free drinks on what night. Jody wasn’t much into going out to clubs or bars, so I would go off with the girls to bars like Bullwinkles because they offered free drinks on Wednesdays from 10pm – 1am for girls. Or we would go to Late Night Library early on a Saturday night and take advantage of free drinks from 9 – 10pm. So, I started drinking simply enough. And, alcohol was really easy for me. I never liked the taste of beer, but I could do shots of Jack Daniels no problem. Jack only burns going down for a second but the after effects last much longer. Drinking was never a problem although I did suffer a few bad hangovers where I would swear to never do it again. But that would only last until the next weekend came around.
I moved on to trying pot. Having tried pot, I am guessing all of the people who are so set against it must never have tried it themselves. All it did was it made me more mellow, relaxed and definitely gigglier. It was a different state of mind. But, it doesn’t make you violent and it doesn’t make you crazy or bounce off the walls like some other drugs. It is a warm fuzzy feeling that just makes everything seem better, especially food! Pot is also something I can't see being all that much trouble. Like drinking, moderation is the key.
But, then there came roofies, or Rohypnol. When I was in college kids were using this before it was known as a date rape drug. If you took one of those and had a drink with it, you might find yourself in bad situations. There were a few nights where I can’t remember much because that is what roofies do to you. What I do remember is one night talking to that cop outside of a club. I’m sure he saw how badly messed up I was. He didn’t do anything to stop me and thank goodness my friends got me home that night without any real trouble.
After roofies came acid and ecstasy. I can honestly say I only tried each of those a time or two, because that is all it takes to see a whole other world. Some of it was good but some of it was bad.
I spent one night at Jody’s house high as a kite on acid. I played Sonic the Hedgehog for hours and hours on end. The crazy thing was I felt an amazing connection to Sonic. I was pretty sure he was talking to me through that video game. I would get into these hidden levels of the game that I was so sure no one else had seen but me. Sometimes I would even see words written out in the coins. I remember seeing the word HOPE and I was sure at that moment I was one with Sonic.
Herein lies the problem with drugs. They can be a lot of fun. Too much fun. That same night I played the endless game of Sonic I remember thinking that this is why people get addicted to drugs, because they feel great. My next thought was I didn’t want to get myself addicted to any of this stuff. I didn’t have a particular reason why, I just knew it would be a bad idea. As much fun as I was having I just knew I needed to stop.
And I did stop. Just the possibility that I could have gotten addicted or into trouble with any of this stuff was enough to scare me away. Not everyone I was hanging out with at that time could understand how you can go from doing these drugs to waking up one day saying you aren’t going to do it anymore, but I’m glad I did. I guess deep down someone taught me right from wrong and I could see things not ending well if I had continued. I'm not saying I'm a goodie two shoes, because I can let loose every now and then. And, I’m not saying I was extraordinarily brilliant for stopping when and how I did. I’m just saying I was lucky.
I used to do a little but a little wouldn't do it,
So a little got more and more.
I just keep trying to get a little better
Said a little better than before.
I used to do a little but a little wouldn't do it
So a little got more and more.
I just keep trying to get a little better
Said a little better than before.
We been dancing with Mr. Brownstone.
He's been knocking.
He won't leave me alone.
No, no, no, he won't leave me alone.
-Guns N' Roses
2 days and counting!