Melrose Draws the Line

It Started with a Cold

cnciccone — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 14:19:52 +0000

I had a cold, so I took something for it. I then went drinking all night, I went and picked up my infant daughter from the sitter and was driving home and passed out behind the wheel and went in the ditch and had to leave my baby in the car in the cold, while I walked to find some help to get out. It was in the middle of the winter. I can never forgive myself. I have never told anyone this story.

At The Age of 4

cnciccone — Sat, 30 May 2009 02:50:29 +0000

well at the age of 4 i was sitting home my father had a joint in the ashtray i picked it up and smoked it and then at the age of 12 is when i really started smoking cigarettes and pot then i drank alot to and now i am trying to stay sober but i still smoke cigarettes alot but its hard you know

How did we get here?

cnciccone — Fri, 15 May 2009 18:48:00 +0000

I crossed the line the day i decided to get into a strangers car with my friend to smoke a blunt.
My friend and i decided one morning to wake and bake. like we often did. so we walked down to a local convienient store and waited outside to get a blunt wrap. Being underage (15) we couldn’t get it ourselfs. So after a few minutes of waiting a guy came out and he had a wrap so we asked if we could match him ( share our bud ). He said yeah so we went to his construction site and smoked with him and a bunch of his buddies. it was a bit awkward but we stayed with him. Mind you this man was like 35 yrs old. anyways he said he had to go to his house to change out of his work clothes and asked if we wanted to go with him. we did and as it turned out his house was all the way up in lawrence, in the sticks. so we were at this strange guys house in the middle of nowhere. NOT where we wanted to be. we realized how dumb this was once our buzz wore down.So We ended up getting defencive and had him drive us back to Melrose. thank God nothing happened to us. it was an incredibally stupid and extremly dangerous situation. If i could give advice to anyone. please think before you act. because some decisions can leave alot worse off than how you started.

me against the world

cnciccone — Fri, 15 May 2009 18:45:28 +0000

i drew the line when i realized that because of drinking alcohol and doing drugs it was destroying not only my school work, but my home life as well. my anger was out of control and i lashed out at everyone. Teachers friends and family. It got to the point where i would be in the middle of class, i would get up and just walk out of the school leaving all my stuff behind. Just to go smoke a blunt or drink some beer. At one point i missed 22 days of school in a row. but Now that i have gotten sober i can see what i did to my family and how sorry i am for hurting them. and myself.

There Is Hope

cnciccone — Wed, 13 May 2009 16:08:37 +0000

My mom grew up with an alcoholic mom… her sister and one brother are in their 50’s and are alcoholics today. My mom rarely drinks and luckily my aunt’s (her sister’s) daughter (who is 13) is straight edge because she sees how horribly this disease has affected her family. Breaking the Cycle is possible!

Nagging Pains of Broken Hearts

cnciccone — Wed, 13 May 2009 16:07:26 +0000

Death, Disease, Injuries, and Arrest are not the only bad things that happen when you drink too much. I have never been involved with the above, but have suffered the smaller more nagging pains of broken hearts, lost friendships, and gossipy hungover brunches.

The pictures on facebook are funny until you apply for a job, a scholarship, an internship and you are turned down, because they don’t want to hire a drunk girl, smeared makeup and skimpy dress.

The gossip is amusing until you realize that you lost a friend, blew your chances with the nice guy your really like because you left the club with someone else, or realize that you are a complete hyocrite.

And there is always the look on your professors, your boss, your roomates face….that look of disappointment when you are hungover on a Wednesday morning.

Sometimes I was the sober one taking the pictures, spreading the gossip, and doing the judging. Sometimes I was the one leaving the club with a guy, crying on the lawn at 2am, and being the hypocrite.

And if I haven’t experienced it personally, and thankfully I haven’t, I either witnessed it, helpedit , or heard the tearful stories after the fact of the lost internship, pain of a cheating boyfriend/girlfriend, or the lingering depression, anxiety and stress.

Maybe this seems funny – but its not when you are wake up and realize that your drinking buddies are not real friends, your”friend with benefits”is not your boyfriend and he never will be, in fact he doesn’t even care enough about you to be your friend, you are alone and depressed and its Thursday afternoon – are you ready to start the cycle all over again?

Work Hard – Play Hard – right? Put on your sexy shirt and be a flirt – right? Everyone is doing it – right?

I’ve never been in a car accident, I’ve never been to rehab, I’ve never gotten an STDS, or been pregnant, or been raped. I’ve never had my stomach pumped or vomited all over the dance floor. BUT – I have been hurt, affected by my binge drinking and the binge drinking of others. I have suffered countless broken hearts, lost sleep holding the hair of a vomitting friend, not studied hard enough for tests – missed opportunities, missed moments.

I thankfully for me found new friends that were not into the party scene while
I was still in college – I made genuine friends I still travel around the country to visit, that love me for me, not just my beer pong skillz.

And now that I am graduated, an adult, I still go out for drinks every once in a while – but I haven’t been drunk in 2 whole years and its been great! In fact I am now the Designated Drive of choice! No more missed moments, no more fake friends, no more heartbreaks because of sexy shirts and shots of tequila.

Teenage Smoking

cnciccone — Fri, 08 May 2009 15:49:21 +0000

The cigarettes, the blacks, the weed, the pills – all of that stuff just really isn’t worth it. it’s not worth seeing your mom and dad in tears because you failed a drug test. it’s not worth going downtown every friday to a rehab center, and getting busted again. it’s not worth hurting a sport you’ve been committed to for 9 years. it’s really not worth losing your friends over. it’s not worth coming to school high everyday and failing your classes. it’s not worth hurting your body. it’s not worth messing up your life . i’ve had fun doing all that stuff. not gonna lie. but now, i finally see whats happening to me. i constantly want or am begging for a cigarette. my parents have NO trust for me. and as of today, i realized that i cannot run more than 15 minutes without coughing up a storm. in result of all of this, i have to go to the phoenix center downtown (rehab for underage) everyday after school and counseling at 1 every sunday. hopefully, i will be a new, brighter, nicer, and drug free person in a month after all of this. for those of u that are just getting starting on drugs – take my story as a reason not to start. i never believed anyone. i was stubborn. i thought i could do things my own way. i thought a couple hits now and then were not a big deal, and that i wouldn’t be addicted. ha All It Takes Is One Hit. i still remember mine. the first time i had ever smoked was when i took a hit off of a black and mild. from then on, i didnt know who i was. Saying to yourself, “well i don’t have anything going for me right now, or anything to mess up” is not true . you will NEVER have anything going for you if u keep smoking. dont smoke, say NO.

My life-Altering Car Accident

cnciccone — Fri, 08 May 2009 15:37:34 +0000

I crossed the line when instead of stopping my car to nurse my baby, I traded driving with her father and took her out of her car seat and was feeding her. Her father had just shot up some heroin and he fell asleep (nodded out). The car drifted off the road while he was driving, and he over corrected at a speed of about 80 mph. The car rolled over back across the interstate, and my daughter and I were ejected from the car. I broke my femur. But the impact with the ground gave her a brain injury and her heart arrested, but an off-duty paramedic was behind us and stopped and resuscitated her and kept her alive until Life Flight came and got her.

She has now been diagnosed with cerebral palsy because of the accident. I am grateful she survived. But I will always know I crossed that line and put her in a situation that she ended up hurt, badly.

My Son’s Father Crossed the Line When He Commited Suicide Because He Couldn’t Stop Drinking

cnciccone — Fri, 08 May 2009 15:35:44 +0000

My son’s father crossed the line when he drowned himself when my son was two. His dad could not control his drinking, and I insisted he get help. I told him he couldn’t return home and drink. He was visiting his brother when he decided life wasn’t worth living. He took the boat to the middle of the lake. He tied an anchor around his waist and threw himself in the water. Although he left a note, his body wasn’t found for almost two years because of the depth of the lake and the location of the body. During this time, we didn’t know if he was dead or if he had run away to escape his problems. I wasn’t able to move forward with my life until he was found. My son lost the experience of having a father to love and teach him.

My Brother Uses Drugs

cnciccone — Fri, 08 May 2009 15:30:32 +0000

My brother would smoke pot… alot. He even tampered with a gas mask so he could smoke, and the fumes would sit on his face. Fortunately, he is an adult and has his own apartment. A couple officers are looking for him for the following: breaking and entering, auto theft, and intent on distribution. Also his parole officer called wanting to know where he is. PLEASE pray for me.