Against My Better Judgement

[SMiamiPimp]

Ginger,

Were you in the Seed state road 84 Ft Lauderdale the summer of 72 or 74 and were you on staff then?

If yes, I will start trying to recall female staff members.

"Well, I'm of the opinion that AA can be and often is quite the high demand, destructive cult."

Why a destructive cult? Thanks!

[Antigen]

No, different Ginger entirely. I was 6 in `71 when my older brothers went in.

I think AA can be a destructive cult because I've just run into enough devout AAers who are entirely too wrapped up in it. Then there are the court rulings which consistently define AA as a religion for the purposes of the First Amendment. And the rather clanish attack response that almost always meets any questioning or criticizm of AA.

Wait for it.....

At present there is not a single credible established religion in the world.
--George Bernard Shaw, Irish-born English playwright

[SMiamiPimp]

I ran this by a female friend who's daughter went through a drug problem and ran some of the contents of the website by her to get her response.

In particular in regards to what I viewed as distorions or shortfalls of what the Seed provided.

Her repsonse was, dealing with a adolecent on drugs was the biggest nightmare of her life, that it made her crazy. Part the the insanity was a desparation that led her to feel any means were justified to deal with the problem. That she was desparate for results, and her only criteria became does it have a chance of working.

The message was, go easy and wieght that into the postmortem analysis......

[SMiamiPimp]

There are plenty of crazy unbalanced AAers. No doublt about that.

I like the principles as per the literature, while the personalities are very diverse with many unbalanced and plenty of dual diagnosis in the group. Being an adult not under coersion also definitely makes things easier.

[Antigen]

Yeah, been there. I was never so worried about my daughter's drug use as I was about her addiction to a psychotic abusive slightly older boy. But I have to say that episode of my life was probably the most trying, easily one of the most diffuclut and painful and certainly the most educational so far. God is a comedian, smart assed mother fucker! LOL

I really, truely understand why some parents are such easy marks for these hucksters. And I understand very well that the hucksters in question are nearly always their own biggest suckers. If I hadn't been through it from the teenaged girl's pov, I don't know what I might have done differently. I just thank God that I did know better.

" That she was desparate for results, and her only criteria became does it have a chance of working. "

What I realized is that our best hope, the most reliable, time tested means of dealing w/ a wreckless kid is to just never let anyone or any thing in this world turn you against them. Whether you strong arm them into a program or you let them graze for their own organic trauma in the wild, that really is the "secret ingredient" to this new wave of patent medicine. Either they sink or swim, but either way, you and the kid are better off if you're still friends when and if the kid does ever decide that maybe you're not wrong about everything.

A wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another; shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement
http://lfb.com/?stocknumber=FF7485&code=10247' target='_new'>Thomas Jefferson

[SMiamiPimp]

Cool... :grin:

[Robin Martin]

But there were alot of people I became very close to and I often wonder how they are.  I have kept in touch with a few and those will remain nameless.  Anyway I wish you and all the others the best.  God Bless You, Maggie"

Maggie...You are still a "dude magnet"!  Seriously, I am so happy to hear all is well w/ you and yours. I know it's hard to tell from most of these posts, but there are those of us who "took the best and left the rest" from the Seed. Anyway, I have an awesome group photo (thanks to a dear friend)which was taken at the "P" estate in Tarpon Springs.  I know you know who I'm talking about and I would love to share this w/ you.  E/M me and we'll be in touch, OK?  Good to hear from you!!

[Anonymous]

Where do I get your e-mail address?  By the way, I remember the P place in Tarpon Springs.  I would drive my old car up there and spend the day playing tennis or swimming.  It was fun.

[Anonymous]

I think I am starting to remember you because I looked you up in the LHS yearbook when I was a Junior.  Sorry I didn't remember, but I put alot out of my mind back then. You probably saw me at the mall after one of my best friends had died.  I was around from 1974 to 1979 when I moved back to St. Pete.  I do remember you being a nice guy but most everything else I blocked out.  As everyone else here, I also stressed out about leaving but wanted to for a very long time.  Once I did I felt free to discover what I was going to be without all the pressures from others.  I went from peer pressure to another type of pressure -- which probably saved my life.  There were good things and bad things and alot of life lessons for me.  There are alot of successful people that went through this and I am sure alot of troubled people.  I consider myself very blessed and I love my life.  I am now 47 years old, have a great husband and two teenage girls who are involved in church, school programs, and are great kids.  They have learned from me to stay away from drugs and they do.  
I hope you are doing well and continue to do good work with this site.

[John Underwood]

I received a phone call from a mutual friend telling me you'd stumbled in here. The last time we talked was when? When I called from Bob's, 8, 9 years ago, isn't it?
Anyway, I know we never got a chance to talk about Ron. I don't even know how much you know about what happened at the end. Sad, inevitable, but probably, ...no definitely, a blessing when all's said.
There is a facility through which to send private messages here. You can sign up anonymously and get in touch that way. Please do.
I apologize for not keeping in touch, but..., but bullshit, no excuses!
Love you,
John

[Magpie]

I don't know where the time goes until I look at my girls; ones a senior and the other a freshman.  I did not hear anything about Ron, did he die?  Send me an e-mail and let me know what's going on with you and others.  It would be nice to catch up.  
Take care, Mag

[GregFL]

Maggie, I saw you in the mall in Ft Lauderdale. I have two kids also but not such a wonderfull wife. :grin:  My daughter is 15 and my best friend..we are so close.  My son is super intelligent (I think maybe a gene mutatation) and in his last year of college at FSU.  



Actually I am happily divorced for eight years, and am seriously involved with a wonderfull woman. Right now I am writing this from Hong kong..I am doing a 6 week tour of Asia. and it is 2:00 in the morning.

Life is great for me, and I am glad it is for you as well.  Just to be sure, I went to lakewood.

John, thanks for posting again. I know it isn't easy whatwith the barrage of posts you got, but hell, its the internet!  people can and do say whatever they want..that is nothing unique about this website. Internet forum posting in general requires thick skin, and one this personal and unique requires even more so.

 
Please think about participating in the moderated question and answer thread. You can give back here in a way only you can, and any personal attacks will be deleted. That is a special thread that is moderated for content. Only questions, and only answers will be allowed to stand.  Thanks in advance.

http://www.fornits.com/wwf/viewtopic.ph ... &forum=8&2


Maggie, Btw, we went bowling at the pinellas point alley behind the youth center once. I think maybe my sister was there also.

Finally, Robin...thanks for posting again!

[Magpie]

Greg,
Why do you travel around so much?  What kind of work do you do?  Sounds like you have two great kids, sorry about the divorce, but glad you are happy now.  Is your sister's name start with Fr... and your last name starts with B?  I hope this is going directly to you.  Where do you live in Florida?  

I have been living in Atlanta since 1980 and got married to a great guy in 1984 and he is from Tampa, but I met him in ATL.  

I miss my friends from the days because they probably knew me the best.  Except for my husband and friends now.  But there is something about having friends that you have known since high school.  I only keep in touch with two people and I don't even see them much. One of my oldest friends goes to GA Tech and I talk to her periodically.  She is getting another degree and then the other is a guy from St. Pete that I love like a brother and we speak once a year on his birthday.  

Well take care and travel carefully.  My husband and I are big tennis fans and will be in NYC next week for the US Open and I am really looking forward to that.  

Maggie [ This Message was edited by: Magpie on 2005-08-22 13:15 ]

[ChrisL]

Its Chris Lewis, glad to see you found your way here, sorry I lost touch. I changed jobs about three years back & we stopped e-mailing. I lost my Mom last year so I don't get back to St Pete as often. The other seed kid at St Pete Catholic has been in / out of the site, but I still have not located Dave B********l. Drop me a private note if you would like, I have to apologize about using your last name in one of my earliest posts, I asked the Mod's to go back & edit (it's done).
Glad things are going well, you take care,

Chris

[Anonymous]

Hey Maggie, this is the other kid from St. Pete Catholic.   Glad to see you found your way here.  Sounds like you've had a good life.  

Hey Chris how you been?  All is well here.

N