Christmas at Straight Inc.

[jpearce]

I was in the orlando based straight.  I spent christmas of 1989 in that broken down warehouse.  I remember being excited to get a present from my parents and ended up being severely disappointed.(again)  You get one box filled with the bare essentials(clothing and shoes)  The hole thing was depressing and they made it worse by having us decorate our warehouse and sing songs all damnn day long.  I almost spent another christmas on first phase but my step mom pulled me 5 days before christmas.  That was the best present I ever recieved after being there for 20 months.

[EarthMother]

Were you on 1st phase the entire 20 months?

[ladyjerrico]

Damn.. I kinda thought only clothes could be given on 1st phase.. someone else said they got a thing of nuts and candy.. I'm sure that was taken away if they were told they couldn't have sweets.. sigh.

I wish I could take back all those days of Christmas that anyone has had to encounter there, it seemed like the most depressing day of each of your lives.. comforts

[EarthMother]

I got the candy and nuts from my oldcomers dad. Nothing from my mom. As far as I remember, newcomers didn't get anything for Christmas from their folks on first phase. This was 1982, before Straight even tried to treat kids like humans.

[jpearce75]

I was not on 1st phase the whole time I was in straight.  I actually made it to 5th phase but of course I got set back because my conscience was bothering me about something I never did.  So about the beginning of december I started to misbehave(not really though I just gave up) anyway I finally got pulled 5 days before christmas.

[ladyjerrico]

I'm sure you had much more freedom than those who tried to motivate the hardest and still got left on 1st phase.. like myself.. but then again, I didn't want to go to school (I was afraid that someone would laugh at me or something like they always did in high school for stupid shit).
Now that I'm older I don't really care what people say about the way I look or dress.. I guess age does that to ya :smile:

[Anonymous]

not really x-mas...But I do remember my birthday(s)...I was admitted 2 wks before my 15th b-day.  In St. Pete, they'd dish out some sheet cake on someone's b-day...As sort of a parental gift in abstentia...

Anyways, I was banking on Mom sending me a slice of cake...Then, I'd have some sort of comfort knowing that she remembered my b-day and didn't dump me off in psycho-camp and went to Diz-world...See, she has an impeccable mind for numbers & dates and never forgot to do something on our b-days...(She's a mathmatician for cristsake!)

Long story short, my b-day came around and not a happy b-day or piece of shite cake! I "sat in my doo" and misbehaved...

Years later, my Mom told me that she wanted to order me such a cake, but got confronted in parent rap for being weak and enabling...She also said that she felt doubly-guilty...One, for leaving her lil' sweet pea all alone & scared on his b-day and two, for making a cardinal error in the eyes of the program...

I know this may seem very small to most who read this...However, at the time I just turned 15 and was locked up in drug rehab...Any sort of small respite from a loving Mother would have been welcomed in such bleak circumstances...

However, I look back on it now and kind of laugh at it all...So much effort went into those rediculous & petty power plays, mind games and manipulations, that alot of the altruistic intentions were lost to the few that controled the many...

To quote from a Woody Allen film..."Comedy=tragedy+time..." Straight to me was a tragedy at the time, yet I find myself laughing alot in order to deal with it...

[kaydeejaded]

I feel you it is not little! the smallest things are so meaningful in there. Are you sure staff didn't just take the cake and eat it?

[85 Day Jerk]

I was in the program at that time, and all I can say is that I saw Liz, Lori, Amy, and Terri chowing down on some store-bought cake in the staff office while I was across the way getting medication. The only one who did'nt eat any was Marie, cuz she did'nt feel right about it. That very well could have been your birthday cake, they did that stuff all the time.

On 2002-05-26 19:50:00, Anonymous wrote:
not really x-mas...But I do remember my birthday(s)...I was admitted 2 wks before my 15th b-day.  In St. Pete, they'd dish out some sheet cake on someone's b-day...As sort of a parental gift in abstentia...



Anyways, I was banking on Mom sending me a slice of cake...Then, I'd have some sort of comfort knowing that she remembered my b-day and didn't dump me off in psycho-camp and went to Diz-world...See, she has an impeccable mind for numbers & dates and never forgot to do something on our b-days...(She's a mathmatician for cristsake!)



Long story short, my b-day came around and not a happy b-day or piece of shite cake! I "sat in my doo" and misbehaved...



Years later, my Mom told me that she wanted to order me such a cake, but got confronted in parent rap for being weak and enabling...She also said that she felt doubly-guilty...One, for leaving her lil' sweet pea all alone & scared on his b-day and two, for making a cardinal error in the eyes of the program...



I know this may seem very small to most who read this...However, at the time I just turned 15 and was locked up in drug rehab...Any sort of small respite from a loving Mother would have been welcomed in such bleak circumstances...



However, I look back on it now and kind of laugh at it all...So much effort went into those rediculous & petty power plays, mind games and manipulations, that alot of the altruistic intentions were lost to the few that controled the many...



To quote from a Woody Allen film..."Comedy=tragedy+time..." Straight to me was a tragedy at the time, yet I find myself laughing alot in order to deal with it...  

[buckrogers]

i was in dc straight for christmas.
i remember making cards for family.
they would sit us on the floor and let us bare down on those blasted blue chairs with a pencil and a piece of white typing paper.

while christmas sucked, i wasnt entirely upset. i had recently been started over from  2nd phase for not understanding some dumb rule. i think they put me on 2nd phase to show imaginary progress and then started me over to show how the batter wasnt quite ready yet. my parents were soo dissappointed.
anyway misbehaving was going oh so well - easier on the brain. i just hated that part about the "world going by while you rotted in here" bit. my drawing privledges had been revoked. no pleasure for the guy who can draw.
but hey even the bad kids got to make christmas cards and i drew and drew and drew.
it had to be all cheery and shit, no off color material or guilt trips. but hey - why not draw and enjoy it? little things seems to mean alot then (what,? i get to brush my teeth AND shave? i must be damn near royalty at this house!)
So i drew santa doing his deed and a tree inside with a very bland yuletide remark like "deck the halls". i thought it was quite a nice rendition. my parents were thrilled - they only hoped it meant i was working.
it must of really got to them - me being gone and all. they still have that card in a photoalbum dedicated to family christmas.

[buckrogers]

hey i remember oooo / aahhhhh rap.
that was ridiculous. i never had to do that.
i always thought it was funny when the one kid would open the tidie whities for all to see or some nasty colored sweater.

and the drones ooooooed and ahhhhhhed to all.......

[Anonymous]

I was in the Atlanta Straight for more than one Christmas...but the one I remember in particular was having to act out the Grinch who stole christmas by Dr. Suess...complete with songs and a little Cindy Lou Who...for our parents and guests on open meeting.  

Now I get a small shutter everytime I read the book (which is ironically one of his favorites) to him.  Now however I have to laugh a little thinking about us "hardened addicts" holding hands dancing around and singing our hearts out to Dr. Suess.

[kosmonaut]

Weird, I can't remember anything about Christmas in Straight.  I know I was there, but it's a total blank.  I do remember there being a total solar eclipse one day.  That was in the Atlanta Straight circa 84.

[MommaDebi]

I too have a hard time even remembering my entry and exit dates. I know i was placed in the Seed a few days following their move to St Pete, I believe I had just turned 14 in Sept. or maybe I had just turned 13 I was in the Eighth grade at Tyrone Jr High. Maybe somebody remembers for me? I would love to learn.



I know I was there through the Spring so I must have been there at Christmas. I do know that it is not my favorite time of the year even now.



I do know i started smoking cigarettes in the Seed...remember everybody lighting up on the hour?? I was not satisfied with my lifesavers....



I do know that my father was stopped from coming to the Open meetings on Mon and Fri because he was always so damn drunk!! Even the night I had "earned the right" to go home, they had to call him to come get me...No standing up for me yelling "Mom, Dad, I'm coming home!!". In fact he refused to come get me and I went to my foster home, the Stephenson's, anyway!



UGH what ugly memories of my youth. It is no wonder really that I stopped seeing my father for years, his emotional abuse never stopped. ....

My mother and I had patched things up to a point, but for the last 6 months have not spoken either as she refuses to accept my boundaries and keeps crossing them, acting surprised and hurt when I stop her! Oh well.

debi



_________________
"...every five years I look back on my life and have a good laugh..."

[ This Message was edited by: MommaDebi on 2002-07-18 15:00 ]

[Marnie]

I was put in Straignt in November 77 so yes I was away from home for christmas - very painful both my sister and brother were also there and my  mom would come visit and I would just cry!!! very sad very painful