DonsPersonalGrowthStory.com

I had now position myself for the finial slide to the bottom. I was living with someone and his friends, who drank and drank more. I just couldn’t seem to keep up , no matter how hard I tried 

At first it  was great, my brother worked afternoon shift and I worked days, I did not see during the week But I had someone to drink with on the weekends. We had 3 TVs set up to watch football and all our friend dropped by. We drank and smoked dope and watched and talk football or hockey.

I drank more and more . Then there was the bars. Mostly it was the biker’s bar. I would drink all my money and then walk the 5 miles home. I would get home at3 AM and then the dogs wanted to go for a walk. So I would put a couple of beers in my pocket6s  and away we would go. My dog knew it was his job to protect me if he wanted to go for a walk. As I stagger and stumbled along I would met other people out walking. As they approached me, my dog would leap out of the darkness and stand in front of me  and growl loudly. Any idea of harming me and taking the beer  would instantly disappear at the sight of my 85lb black dog. They would move off my side walk and go around, as my brother little Irish Setter would sniff them for food. It always made me laugh.

One day I got the idea I would like to have a girlfriend.   To Be Continued… Don

Receiving a call in the middle of the night by someone who barely spoke English say, ” Your Father is dead.” and  then hang up was most disturbing. I then had to phone my brother and tell him. I immediately drove to my brother ‘s house and we try phoning Germany to get the facts.

After 2 years of been a non smoker ,I started again. 6 hours later we contacted our Cousin who spoke better English than us. And yes it was true our dad had died while taking a nap.

We put our father affairs in order, and about the same time my brother’s roommate moved back to Greece. So, we decided I would move in with my brother.

And the slide to the bottom began.    To Be Continued… Don

My sheetmetal career begin slowly. My first job an apprentice lasted 6 weeks, the second lasted 3 weeks and the third lasted 1 week. Seems I had an attitude problem.

Lucky my next job was in Blowpipe and that is sheetmetal pipes, cyclones and baghouses for Plywood, Lumber and paper mills. It was the lest liked job in the union, except by those who worked in it. I worked 6 months straight before I got my first day off. I worked  months at a time . I had lots of money and no time to spend it. I still drank and did drugs after work, but not as much as before.

As the economy took an roller coaster ride, I was laid off many times. More than the average worker, because of my attitude. a lot of it came from being paranoid caused by the drugs, drinking and the fact I was still depressed from my parents divorce when I was 13. I really believed every body was out to get me.

About this time, me and my dog Norton were living in an apartment which was the main floor of a house. This was one of my unemployed times, lasting 2 years. All I did was to sit around and drink and do drugs and listen to country music. The depression was bad.

Then one day, I was watching TV and Dr. Wayne Dyer was on. He was talking about his book “Erroneous Zones “  In the book he said,”  You control your feeling by what you think. I also read his book, “Pulling Your Own  Strings.”

It was amazing, I opened up the curtains  and let the sunshine in. I was feeling 100% better. I got a job.

In the middle of the night I got a phone call from Germany, My father had died!

To Be Continued…Don

At 23, I moved back to Vancouver and in with my dad. I do not think my father ever found out , I was doing drugs and got booted out of the navy. I had recieved about $1000 upon my release from the navy.

Now I sat around drinking and doing drugs. As I started to run low on money I took a job as a janitor for a department store.

At this time my friend said, “the government pays for people to get reeducated.”  Sounded better and easier than having a job.

So, I took a bunch of test to see what I was best at. They ( the government agency) told me a would be good at Sheetmetal work. But I needed to finish grade 10, so I took an upgrading coarse. To my surprise I did so good ,they said,” why don’t you take 11 and 12 upgrading?” I thought ,If they are going to pay me it’s easier than a working. Away I went. After finishing that I took the pre apprentice coarse. 6 months later I finished it.

I had to go to work.    To Be Continued… Don

The second day, I was imprisoned The navy investigators questioned me.

I had thought up a good story, about how someone must have put drug in my beer.

It was working well until they went though my wallet and found a couple of hits of acid.

Whoops! Had to think up a new story quickly.

After 5 days I was sent back to Ship. 2 days later the Captain kicked me off his ship. He sentenced me to 14 days in detention.

 Little did he know that I may have been one of first caught but 5% of his crew were doing drugs. Some were cranking speed, acid, alcohol and mescalin

 When I got released I was assigned to the land base in Victoria. I was where 3 months and then released from the navy.  To Be Continued … Don

After the accident , I was taken to the Vet’s Hospital’s in Vancouver. I was the youngest person in there.

I was lucky I had the best doctors working on my ankle. The navy paid for every thing and paid me too.

Even though I was on crutches I continued to drink. I healed  in a few months and continued doing stupid stuff while drunk. I remember walking off a cliff once. I began drinking less and doing more drugs.

I did acid every second day and drank in between because I did not feel stoned enough if I did acid every day.

And then it happened I was flying high in the parking lot of the ice rink when a police officer spotted me. He pulled up in front of me and asked what I was doing and I replied,” You can’t see me because I’M hiding behind this post.” Which was about 8 inches wide. He took me to the Navy hospital. The doctor who talked to me pulled out what looked to be a needle meant for a horse. It was huge. well in my mind any how. They put me in naval jail until they could investigate…

To Be Continued… Don

All though I was still drink to excess,

 I  met some other shipmates who introduced me to hash  and marijuana.

I remember standing at the stern of the ship, smoking dope. It was perfect, since the ship was moving the smoke disappeared behind

and if anybody came our way, we just dropped it into the sea.

And then, I started do Acid.

 On the second trip to Australia, I was stoned on acid laying on a equipment storage at 2AM. watching the cloud make beautiful patterns in the sky, when along comes an officer.

He asks me  ‘What are you doing?”  I said,” I could not sleep and came on deck for a smoke.” That was the common answer everybody gave.

 At time it felt like the ship stopped rocking and was floating 3 feet above the water.

I was going down hill faster and faster.

I decided I needed a brand new Car. Yes, my life was not completely out of control yet.

Looked at a Cameo fully loaded but it cost $5,000.

 That’s no good the payments will cut into my Drinking money.

 So I bought a motorcycle. A “750 Norton Commando R”. It was my first motorcycle and it was fast.

One time I remember racing a Mustang Mach1, we going down a hill and start to race at 60 mph. In 2 blocks I was doing 110mph.

Another time I was drinking with my mates in a park.

I drank about 60 oz. of very cheap vine and as I was drive back to the shipyard, the first bend in the road I though” If I do not do something , I drive off the road.”

I didn’t and drove into the ditch. My mates were in a car right behind me, they stopped and pick me up. They said I was too drunk to drive so somebody else drove the bike back and I came back in the car.

Yes , I 0nly crashed the motorcycle 14 times before I got hit by the car

But, for some reason, this time, I learned my lesson right away!

God, Only Had To Hit Me With One Car and I Knew Not to Drink and Drive…

To Be continued… Don

Good news , our cat (Finn ) came home last night and seems in good condition

In  about March I was assigned to the HMCS ST. Croix .

One of Canada’s Greatest war ships. LOL.

My trade was WU. (weapons Underwater), I got to destroy submarines.

If and when we found them.

I did a lot of practising of my new hobby. Drinking…

I had lots of shipmates ,who shared my hobby.

The life on the ship was exciting.

we would put to sea and play war.

It wasn’t as much fun in the winter but for the first couple of year, it was fun.

By this time in my naval career, I was gettting drunk 4 times a week or more

and had one cruise to New Zealand and Australia.Where I did some of my best drinking.

To Be Continued… Don

On the 12 it was my 18th birthday,

 on the 13 I got my driver’s licence

and on the 14th I sign up

and left for basic training in the Royal Canadian Navy.

5 days on the train crossing Canada.

We arrived at Cornwallis Naval Base .

What a wonderful experience,there were maggots in the food,

we were aloud one cup of milk per meal,

we ran every where except when we were marching.

I could do this well having been in Sea cadets,

I also had the best shined boots for the same reason.

I did have a challenge with folding my underwear into Perfect 4 by 4 squares,

which they loved to dump on the floor and say, “Do It Again.”

I did  manage to finish in the 16 weeks aloud.

And then off to Halifax for trade school

but first I get put into the  ”Sunset Ceremony”

where I do more marching and pulling a cannon to and fro

and start to learn my new hobby ,  Drinking!!!

After trade training, it’s back to Victoria’s naval base.

Perfect timing , I get a months holiday over Christmas.

Back at the base they decide to do a “Sunset Ceremony,”

Guess who they picked?  More Marching and pulling the cannon.

They make me the  substitute, Because I now have every position memorised.

After the Grand tour of Vancouver Island and Vancouver ,

I finally am asigned to HMCS St. Croix.  To Be Continued… Don

On January the second, our dog Veddar died.

On January 11 our cat did not come home. Today is the 15th

and still no sign of him. I am starting to worry. It’s enough to make a 60

year old man cry!    to be continued… Don