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My escape

T

The_Jiant_Junky

Greenlighter
Joined
Nov 24, 2010
Messages
13
Greetings all, I've been reading this forum for a long time. I appreciate all the stories and info that has been shared. I thought it was time for me to register tell my story.

I was always a semi-functional addict. I feel like the drugs held me back quite a bit. However, I feel like they also provided me with many interesting experiences. I often participated in some very risky behavior, in some cases, I feel like I am lucky to be alive and not in jail. I've done the following drugs: weed, coke, mdma, opiates (almost every kind except "h"), acid, shrooms, mescaline, 2c-i, benzos, and almost every type of pharmy you can imagine. I never had a problem with addiction to any of these drugs, except weed.

I smoked for the first time when I was 14. I didn't become a habitual user until my senior year of high school. From the ages of 18 to 25 I smoked daily, with a few 6 month periods of sobriety. During this time I managed to hold down a job and graduate from college, barely. I chose the easiest major I could find. At work, I was always the first one to volunteer to go home if we were overstaffed. I could tell that my life was going no where. I had dreams of being ambitious, but they were hazy at best. I knew I had to escape.

The problem was, I had BA in BS and my work experience was pathetic. So, I decided to teach English in South Korea. I figured I could save up a bunch of cash and escape my situation. Afterall, getting drugs in South Korea is like finding water in the desert. I got myself sober the month prior to my departure so I could pass the drug test in Korea. All worked out and I'm just about done with my first year here.

I was placed in a very remote village, one where the people have never even seen a white person before. The experience has been mind numbing at times. Even though I've been sober, the whole thing feels like a strange trip. It has definitely taught me to be more self-reliant. There is not much to do here. I've been eating healthy and exercising with much more consistency than ever before. As a result, I feel like a completely different person. I feel more confident, strong, and I feel like my cognition has vastly improved.

After this year is up I plan to travel SE Asia for 2 months then return to my home country. I have a plan for the future. A boring office job.

I am planning on periodically indulging in some pills. But, I'm going to leave the weed alone this time.

I just wanted to know if anyone else has ever gone to drastic lengths to escape their drug problem. Thanks for reading.
 
One thing I've heard people who've spent time in remote locations in a different culture report is feeling very displaced when they return to their home country - a sort of reverse culture shock. It's probably a possibility to keep in mind as you return to a situation where instant gratification is available 24/7.
 
Hey
:)
Welcome to Bluelight!
Thats a great story that you have, and a good first post!
what uve done ive dreamed of only, im kinda tied down with a child but would give anything to be able to travel about one day and do something of worth in a place that i could possibly be completly drug free.
And I think what uve done is amazeing, most drastic thing i eva did drug decision wise was to quit speed coz it was getting in the way of me being able to take care of my baby, my grandparents had ot have her for a week this one time and i had to make a chioce... in reflection it was the best i could have made..

theres also a new members introduction thread, so if u like jump in there and say hi to everyone....it's a gr8 community here with heaps of wonderfull people:)
 
@Lolie I've read about reverse culture shock and I think I will definitely experience it. The place I come from is different in every possible way.

@SMFG - thanks for the welcome! I'm glad you got clean for your baby, I can't think of a more important reason.
 
Hello dear The Jiant Junky.
I have a similar problem with cannabis. I left recently a post with my "story" in introductions' thread.
I am planning on moving far away after I graduate as well, find a demanding job and stay sober as long as I can to figure things out for myself. I decided not to apply to graduate schools since I feel that I can't handle it right now and instead get a teaching job through a governmental program for at least 2 years before I feel that I left all the ghosts behind and ready for a new chapter.
I think you did a wise move. And I understand how supposedly harmless cannabis can really become a huge psychological addiction and a big issue in life.

Take care!
 
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Hey you sound like you're in a similar place to me. I also decided to become an English teacher to escape the boredom of life back home. My first destination wasn't quite so remote - just the south of Italy - but starting next year I'll be living in a village in the mountains of Libya, so that should be fucking random, anyway.

I'm not sure about the moving to escape drugs thing. I agree it is normally a good way to stop because you simply can't get hold of them and it works wonders for doing more exercise (normally, as you implied, out of sheer boredom). But I find when I return home I fall into old patterns pretty quickly. So I think it helps if you just want a long break, but it won't help that much if you are genuinely trying to change your ways permanently. Only when you quit with temptation all around you can you know that you have really stopped for good.

The reverse culture shock isn't quite so big a deal as people make out. I've been away from England three times now for long periods and every time I go back I settle in within a week or so. To be honest I love the first few hours back in your own country. Everything just seems so fucking great, even the stuff that you know you hated before you left. I remember walking around London just after a long trip in Northern Europe (which tends to pretty clean). Every time a piece of rubbish fluttered past I was like 'yeah, fuck yeah, only in England would that not get picked up! Yeah!'.

Oh and by the way I love this quote...

"Even though I've been sober, the whole thing feels like a strange trip."

Awesome way to describe a country.
 
@Thick as a Planck

I'm jealous! You get to live in Italy. I know a family in Northern Italy and have stayed with them on 3 occasions, for about 1 month each time. It was so much fun and the people were so nice.

Are you planning on teaching English for the long-haul? What are your creds? Just curious.

In the future I'll probably look back on my experience here as a dream. I will wonder if it really happened. I understand your point about falling back into the same habits once you return. This thought has me a bit worried. But, I will be living in a different city with no contacts.

Best of luck in Libya.
 
You wouldnt happen to be anywhere near Uijeongbu would you? :) (from SK)

oh and yes, drugs are very fucking hard to find in korea...lmao
 
@CherryPoppinz

I'm in a province next to the Uijeongbu. Do you still live in South Korea? Also do you know if Mephedrone is legal in South Korea, I've found several sites what will ship it here. I just don't know about the legal status.
 
Haha, what a guess on my part...

I have no idea if mephedrone is legal, based off of South Korea's knowledge of drugs in general and considering that meph was just recently banned in the UK (iirc)...

I think it'd be safe to assume that they have no knowledge of mephedrones existence in general..Im pretty sure it would be safe to order as most Koreans wouldnt know marijuana if they saw it, let alone meph...Id look it up before ordering just to be safe though

Unfortunately I no longer live in Korea, left to go to uni in the states but man do i miss Seoul...

and some damn dweng-jjang jiggeh would be nice..heh
 
I searched the web, but there is no definitive answer as to whether it's legal or illegal. This leads me to believe that it's not illegal. But, you never know, I could end up getting thrown in jail for ordering it. Heck, it's a three year mandatory sentence for pocession of weed here, no parole, no probation. I think my fear will get the best of me and prevent me from ordering it.
 
Hey man. Yeah I think I'm in it for the long haul now. Once I've saved a bit of cash from Libya I'd like to do my DELTA and eventually go to live in Japan. That's always been a dream of mine.

As to qualifications I think I'm pretty standard for an ESL teacher - I've done the CELTA and I've got a phys degree (as far as I can tell the type of degree doesn't really matter in ESL, most schools simply want to know if you have one or not).

Family in Northern Italy sounds good, I kept telling myself I'd go to Florence or Venezia but I never quite made it. Life in the South is a bit slow sometimes.

Can I ask you why you want to go back to a boring office job? You've got some experience teaching now, you could probably find a better offer. Hell, why not go to North Italy to teach for a year there? You already know the place a little and drugs are only semi-available, might be a nice way to ease yourself back into western culture/drugs. Has to be better than working in an office, anyway.


Also about the ordering drugs idea... sounds risky. Remote Korean prisons probably aren't so inviting as remote Korean villages. Don't do it!
 
Honestly I think you'd be fine ordering it, depending on where exactly the mail came in, they wold have no means of finding out it was a drug (sniff dogs arent trained to find meph)...

I just think realistically you'd be alright, but yeah..probably not worth the risk...

Hey how do you guys get these jobs traveling the world and teaching? currently a freshman at uni and ive kind of narrowed down my possible majors too psychology or teaching..

I really want to travel the world and teach/help others and your proffession sounds kinda perfect...
 
@thick

Hey, I agree with you. I won't be ordering the meph. I don't have that much time left anyhow.

I'm going to get a boring office job because my friend's dad hooked me up. There is some big potential to make some serious cash if I work hard and am lucky. If I hate it or if it doesn't work out, I'll probably end up going back to school and getting my MA TESOL. I have to consider my future. I have a girlfriend in Taiwan that I plan on marrying and starting a family with. So, I need to be able to provide.

@cherry

We are able to travel around the world and teach for two reasons. We were born in an English speaking country and we each have a degree. You sound like you're on the right track to accomplish this. If you really want to make a career out of it, you should major in some form of English. You can also teach other subjects and work for international schools. To do this you need a teacher's license from your home country. Best of luck.
 
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