Hello, anyone who is interested. I just happen to stumble upon this site after a dead spot in my brain opened up and I thought ?hum, wonder if there is any info on L.I.F.E. on the ol interweb?. Amazing what one can think about 24 years later?.I have read thru most of the post and have seen the different points of views had by the posters. So I thought I would post my story about being incarcerated in L.I.F.E?.
I entered the program in Aug. 1982?.
I will start by saying I was incarcerated because that?s what it was, I was court ordered after being arrested for possession of narcotics. Well not exactly, my parents had taken the suggestion from another friend who was in the program with the same situation. I was talked into joining because I was told it would be a much lighter sentence then if I just went in front of the Judge. I was over 18 at the time, so basically as I learned I signed myself in. I was scared at having to go to jail though so I agreed with my folks and the friend that was in the program. So when my trial came up they did Court Order me to the program.. Amazing how that happened? I really thought that I would be through with the program in a couple of months and everything would be OK. I believe I was in the program for close to a year overall. I completed it to obtain a ?adjudicated not guilty? sentence. I did just follow the motions and cause as little trouble as possible just to get it over with, which really pissed off the staffers. Weird thing was is half of the staffers at that time I had done drugs with during the past 2 years, so I would sit there and just think you all are full of it.
I was never physically abused because I was older and a larger male. I was though told to restrain people even when I was a 1st phaser because I was larger and I guess had no fear of being hit by a flailing misbehavior?.I was though I feel mentally abused, I was called a liar and fake continually, the ?witch? would just stand me up and scream at me during raps?I do not feel that this has any effect on me today, but back then I did get quite abit of hatred out of it.
The program might have taught me a few things about myself, especially that I will always be in control of my actions. It did not however make me stop doing drugs, after I got out I stepped right back into drugs again, but not out of spite just because that is what I wanted to do. I did have a fear of being arrested again, and this played a big part in me finally quitting almost all drugs except for a few cocktails every now and again. I do not drink and drive when I am drinking and I always keep myself in control. I am a 44 year old adult male, successful in my career, married for 15 years and happy with what I have accomplished so far.