Sobriety Date: 10/10/01

"This is me when I was all sucked up and tweaking out with my bong in my room." - Colin

The modest living room is brightly lit and surprisingly clean for a house where 5 guys live. "Hi, how 'ya doin?" a smiling young man with bright blue eyes and a cheek piercing greets me. 

"Hi, Colin. Thanks for inviting me." I smile, searching for a place to do the interview. 

Colin introduces me to one of his room mates. "This is my friend Jonathan." Another young guy with a suave demeanor and great dimples shakes my hand and nods. "S'up?" he recognized me from the AA club. 

We're all excited about the first interview for my new site about AA freaks and some of the crazy stuff we go through.

Settling down around the coffee table, I ask Colin, "Ok, lets start with you. How old are you?" ask. "18." 

"And you've been sober how long now?"

"120 days." 

"Wow! that's amazing. I wish I could've learned my lesson that young!" I nod, impressed.

"So what made you quit?"

"Well, I used to tweak and bong and drink all the time, and just hide out in my room like a recluse, all paranoid and shit. I got really skinny and sucked up, and I got sick of being a loser. 

But one day I hurt my mom really bad on mother's day, and I when I saw her crying I felt so bad. I decided that was it, and I quit."

"How did you do it?" I wanted to know.

"This is me 120 days sober.

I got a job now, and money and a life!"

Well, I moved to this sober house in Fullerton, and they have special rules to follow. Like I have to go to a meeting every night. I have to write something related to Alcoholics Anonymous every day. I have a chore I do every day, and I have to work."

"Where do you work?" I queried.

"I work full time for Fire Services. They sell fire extinguishers, fire hoses and fire systems."

"So that helps keep you sober?"

"It helps. and I have a higher power, which is Jesus Christ of my own understanding."

"That's great!" (I chucked, cause in AA we usually call it "a God of our own understanding")

"What's the best thing that's happened to you since you got sober?" I wanted to know.

"Well, one of my friends called from Central California to say that the homies I used to hang with started getting aids - my best friend's little sister got aids - and she's only 16 - from sharing a needle with another girl I know. She'd decided to get sober a week before she found this out."

"Oh my God!" I gasped.

"Yeah, she called me to talk - to get help and advice cause I'm the one person she knows that's sober. All the other people I ran with are either addicts, dealers, in jail or are HIV positive cause they've been sharing needles or having unprotected sex."

"How did that make you feel?" I wondered.

"Good. Real good actually."

"It made you feel good that people had AIDS!?" Jonathan piped up, puzzled.

"No, that she confided in me!" Colin swung around and shot him a "retard" glance. "Cause even though I don't know shit yet, I knew enough to start her off." (in sobriety) he gulped part of his micro-waved burrito.

I nodded. "That is a really awesome feeling, isn't it?"

"What else do you have to eat?" Jonathan interrupted.

"Top Ramen." Colin shot back, and turned to me. "That's gourmet for us." 

"Thank God you didn't stay with your old Homies and end up getting AIDS or something!" I added.

"I know. I have a whole new life I never thought was out there. It's really cool - it's a lot of work - but it's cool!" Colin added.

UPDATE:

Recently, I ran into Colin again at the Fullerton Alano Club (Fullerton, California) and we greeted each other with a big hug.

"How are you!" I exclaimed. "Great, how are you?" he responded. "Killer. I got your picture."
I finally returned his tweaking picture. "You don't want to for get THAT!" I laughed.

"Hell no! That's cool, you still have it."

"Of course! I was hoping I'd run into you again so I could give it to you. You still sober?"

"Yep!" He grinned proudly. "Almost 18 months now, and I'm the manager of our sober living house!"

"No way!" I exclaimed, totally excited for him.

"Yep, things are going great!"

SO THAT'S THE STORY OF COLIN, AND WE'LL HAVE A FOLLOW UP INTERVIEW WITH HIM SOON, SO STAY POSTED!