How My Father Saved My Life!

When you normally hear about life saving stories, most of you immediately think burning car, runaway train, house fire, drowning, or something in that area. I am always amazed when I hear stories like that and they turn out for the best. But I also think about the other life changing events that make you think "I wonder where I would be if such and such was different." My story is one of those!
Every time I go out to a club or party and someone tries to buy me a drink they often get a little frustrated because I'll say I'm good. While I do sometimes indulge in one or two at the most, midori sours that is usually where it ends. I'm not a drinker, I don't really care for the taste of alchohol and honestly I can party with the best of them without having to take a sip of the "get loose" syrum.  I won't sit here and pretend to be holier than thou because of it, I know plenty of people who enjoy blaming it on the ah ah ah ah ah alchohol! And the way I see it, as long as your not out there sloppy drunk a la Lindsey Lohan, then hey do you!
When people see that I don't really drink, some think well then she must smoke! Ahhh Negative! Don't do that either. I can't stand the smell of cigarettes, cigars, weed, black n mild or any other chimney stick! Cigarettes are bad for your health and mine too so when you smoke please don't come near me because I don't want cancer because you choose to inhale poison!
When it comes to weed I have heard it all. Living on St.Croix the pressure to smoke wasn't too bad, but when I moved to the states for college it was ridiculous how many people, women especially were out there smoking weed like that shit was cute! IT'S NOT and your breathe usually smells like ass when you're done!
I've never tried weed or any other recreational drugs for that matter and I don't plan to. My father was an addict; drugs & alchohol took over his life for most of my childhood and while he is better today, there are some things that he will never get a second chance to do.  He started off drinking a beer or two and smoking a cigarette, but after sometime those things weren't strong enough and he just needed something a little stronger to take the edge off.
Weed, turned into crack, coke and just about everything else there is out there to try. He went to rehab, came back and was good for a little while before he got back into the habbit. After some years, I'm not sure what did it, but he stopped. He still drinks beers and every so often he goes into the I'm drunk and confessing phase, but the man I know today and the man I remember oh so many moons ago are two completely different people. The relationship me and my father have has been strained by years of drug use and other situations in our lives that I wish were different. It is contstantly a work in progress and today I find comfort in knowing that I can call him and talk about my life and we can discuss things a little better than back in the days. Could things be better? Yes, but why waste time wishing that he were there more when I can just do my part and let what is just be. Some people don't have a father to call, atleast I have that part even if our conversations are cut short each time I do, but I digress.
I remember after having my daughter how stressed out I was. I was struggling with things financially, emotionally I was a reck, and somedays I wished that I did smoke because I heard so many people say it takes you away from the pains of life! Because of my father I didn't succumb to the pressures of life. I always think about the fact that he started off with a cigarette, then weed and then that wasn't enough! That might not have been my story, but I wasn't am not willing to take that chance! Besides when you have God you don't need anything but him to take away the "pains of life".  That is my story, my father saved me, both of them!