When I talked to my son, his father, he agreed with me that prison was the best place for him. I'm not sure what his mother or sisters thought. But I'm pretty sure they weren't very happy about it. After all, he was the only boy and was pretty spoiled.
Now it might sound kind of cold-blooded to be pleased about a grandson being in prison. But I know that in his case he's been getting into difficulty because of his addiction for about 10 years. Somehow he's always managed to avoid too many consequences for his behavior. Oh yeah, he's been homeless. He's lost relationships. And jobs.
But all in all, he somehow has managed to avoid serious jail time, though he's ended up in the hospital a few times for heroin overdoses. However, as soon as he awoke, he'd find his car keys and go right back to doing what he'd been doing.
So I'm pleased about him being in prison because I think it might save his life. I know that drugs are available in prison but I'm hoping the fact that he ended up there may make him think twice before he puts a needle in his arm again. But he might be as hardheaded as I was and have to return two or three times before he gets the idea that his lifestyle isn't working for him. One can only pray that he gets the message.
I hope he doesn't have to spend as much time as I did in prison and jail, which was over 15 years before he realizes that only he is responsible for his behavior – and that only he can change it.
A lot of people talked to me when I was his age about where I was headed if I didn't change. But it took a lot of suffering and pain before I decided to move into the world of recovery because what other people told me didn't mean much at the time.
Today I believe that life teaches us lessons – and the more painful they are the more we learn from them.
Click here to email John
Today I believe that life teaches us lessons – and the more painful they are the more we learn from them.
Click here to email John
