My Brothers

by MrMoe 8 Replies latest jw friends

  • MrMoe
    MrMoe

    I wrote the following on my blog...and I thought it was a little piece of me that would be nice to share with all of you. ~~~~~~ I was adopted by my grandparents when my mother took her life 21 years ago. Through this, my uncles became my brothers and my grandparents became my parents. Weird, huh? I of course drew very close to them over the years, and about 5 years ago one of them, Charlie, passed away from complications due to AIDS. He was the sweetest guy, and sad to say spent much of his life in prison for crimes he committed to feed his drug habit. My other brother Ray is still around, well at least sometimes, and is fast approaching his 50th birthday. Ray is handsome, smart, funny as hell, and an all around fascinating person. When he enters a room, every head turns. He has this presence that I can't form into words, this depth... Ray is just one of those "special" people. He is so smart, so very smart, I just know to my very core he could have really done some amazing things with his life. Enter drug abuse, and this explains as to why I say he COULD have and SHOULD have done grand things, but never afforded himself the chance. Right now, Ray is sober and off of drugs, but I have seen it before, time and time again. He battles with a life long addiction to heroin, and as wrong as this may sound... and as harsh it may seem for me to judge him, I know it is only a matter of time before he goes back to all that sh*t once again. I have seen it far too many times to know what lies in store. The last time I saw him, that handsome face just wasn't glowing the way it used to, and it seemed the years of self-abuse were finally taking it's toll. It is almost as if I barely recognize him behind the sunken eyes and pale skin, this face that was once so beautiful women would throw themselves at his feet. The sad thing is, he was on a drug binge when mom passed away early last year, and he never even bothered showing up while she was sick and dying in the hospital, or even to her funeral. I remember calling him, hearing his slurred voice on the other line, barely coherent to what just happened or the fact he lost the one person who cares the most. His own mother. What a waste of such an amazing life. What a f**king waste.

     
    It's A Shame About Ray
    The Lemonheads
     
    I've never been too good with names
    The cellar door was open I could never stay away
    I know it's probly not my place
    It's either or I'm hoping for a simple way of saying
    It's a shame about Ray
    In the stone under the dust his name is still engraved
    Some things need to go away
    It's a shame about Ray
    If I make it through today
    I'll know tomorrow not to put my feelings out on display
    I'll put the cobwebs back in place
    I've never been too good with names but I remember faces

    Edited by - MrMoe on 6 January 2003 20:39:51

  • Scarlet
    Scarlet

    I am sorry to hear that Moe. I hope for his sake that this time he can get off the drugs for good.

  • Aztec
    Aztec

    Moe, I'm very sorry to hear it. My best friend used to be a homeless heroin addict but he's been off it for years so there is hope. I have another friend in rehab right now and I'm hoping the best for him too. He's a really wonderful person and I hate to see him in so much pain. He just started today so we shall see how he does. I hope your brother stays off drugs for good. Definatly don't give up on him!

    ~Aztec

  • LyinEyes
    LyinEyes

    That was a beautiful post Moe.

    I know what you mean when you say you have seen what drugs will do to someone. I guess we never give hope that they might change. Who knows maybe he will see where his life is not going by doing drugs.

    WildTurkey has a brother that has a serious drug problem. Everytime the phone rings at strange times, we think it might be bad news about him. It is hard to watch them get worse and worse , and nothing you can do will make them stop. It is very sad.

    HugsssssMoe and to all of your family.................dede

  • MrMoe
    MrMoe

    Thanks for posting.

    Aztec -- I hope he stays clean, looks like he will.

    DeDe -- sorry to hear, I sure do understand what that is like.

    The more time goes on the more people you know who's lives are effected by substance abuse. Years back before I had Emma I was exp with some pretty harsh things here and there myself. Not sure where it all would have led me, just very glad I never reached the point of no return. I also denote much of my mother's issues with drug abuse in her early years, and it caused damage that simply could not be fixed.

    On another note.. how common is substance abuse for JW's? Both my brothers were raised in it, perhaps the whole co-dependence thing simply carried over. The vast majority of former JW kids rebel in a huge grand way and often through sex, booze and drugs - and far from light, they seem to go all out compared to many of my "worldly" friends I have seen.

  • Xander
    Xander

    Hrm...well, drug abuse has never been REALLY bad up here. Then, we are kinda distant from any major city. The pushers don't usually get out this far with the serious drugs. Marijuana use is pretty common, though. As is smoking.

    Don't think anyone I know has gotten into the hard stuff, and as to weed/cigs/alcohol/whatever other addictive and *mildly harmful* chems...well, I'd just as soon leave well enough alone.

    I don't think it's my place to judge someone else's choices.

    Life sucks. Everybody deals with that in their own way.

    Who am I to say it's healthier to escape by living in deep denial or escape with a drug?

  • BeautifulGarbage
    BeautifulGarbage

    Edited by - BeautifulGarbage on 7 January 2003 16:22:23

  • ugg
    ugg

    thanks for sharing!!! (((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( mr moe )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

  • WildHorses
    WildHorses
    and as harsh it may seem for me to judge him, I know it is only a matter of time before he goes back to all that sh*t once again.

    Amanda, I wanted to post to this yesterday but I couldn't remember the name of the "true story" movie I had watched a few months ago, about a married couple addicted to heroin. But, as fate would have it, I was looking through the channels on cable just now and low and behold the movie is coming on again in a few minutes. It's called, "Darkness before dawn". This couple, with determination, finally stoped using this drug and took back control of their lives.

    Never give up on your brother. If he really wants to, he can over come this addiction. It is possible.

    If any of you out there want to watch this movie, turn to channel 108 on sattlite, or lifetime. It's worth watching.

Share this

Google+
Pinterest
Reddit