My Story (part one)

I was born in Akron, Ohio, in 1961. The son of a proud and strong man, a mason, and his wife, the mother of my six brothers and two sisters. I attended a babtist church in my early childhood, learned manners, obediance, and good moral values. My parents provided an excellent upbringing. We never went hungry, we had nice clothes and hair cuts, and knew what was right and wrong. We had nice hollidays. Birthdays, Christmas, Easter... Always a great Thanksgiving feast. My mother stayed at home, and my father was self employed. He layed brick, his father layed brick, and his father... well lets just say the skill had been passed down since when folks made their own brick from raw materials. I often marvel at what determination it must have taken for them to raise nine children.

There was never alcohol in the house. There was no abuse. We were all loved and taken well care of. I can attribute my alcoholic life style to nothing in my childhood at home.
I was an average student, but kept to myself quite a bit during my school years. Tall and skinny, and not very coordinated, I did not do well in any sports. I couldnt dribble a basketball, climb a rope, or run very fast. I was, in the student body circles, known as one of the "weaklings".

I had but a few friends. One or two other quiet kids like myself, and usually one BIG guy, who no one would mess with. I could always run to him when the other students threatened me. My parents would not allow any of us to smoke, and we were taught well about the dangers of addictions, drugs, alcohol, ciggerettes, ect. I swore from an early age Id never drink or do drugs. I just couldnt understand how anyone could let some kind of chemical control their mind or their actions.

I did understand being left out though. I hated school because in my mind, no one liked me. I wanted so badly to be "someone". In my senior year I learned how to make friends. If I could just do what some of the other kids did, I found they didnt make fun of me. Since I couldnt do sports, I found a few kids that liked to smoke in the bathroom and get high on reefer during lunch. That I could do. Suddenly I had not just two or three friends... I was part of a GROUP of friends. The last few months of school, the last few months of a long twelve years, I felt like I was actually having fun at school. I didnt attend graduation. I didnt even attend school on the last day. I never picked up my diploma or a yearbook.

I went straight about the buisness of making new friends. I discovered new things quicly with my new friends. Speed, qualudes, opium, hashish. I liked the affects of drugs. I never got so wasted that I lost functionability or self controll. I just loved a good buzz. But it was expensive. And illegal. Around the age of ninteen or twenty, I met a guy named Bob. He loved to fish. He fished every single day. And he drank beer.