Did you ever say, "Wow, I wonder where that week went?"

Back in 1998, it seemed that I awoke from a bad nightmare of 32 years of long, dark, depressing, hopeless days blurred together. My only hope - each night - was to overdose and not wake up and face another day of hell right here on earth.

The good news is I met Jesus in '98 and I found the best high there is - in Jesus! I get up each morning, actually looking forward to another day. And now I actually have feelings for other people - and yes even for myself. The Lord is using my screwed up past to give others hope that if God can help me, then He will help them, also.

At age 12, all I heard every Sunday was I would go to hell if I didn't change, so I quit going to church and thought I'd have fun on my way there - 'to hell.'

In 1965, I joined the Marine Corps at age 17. It was then I smoked pot for the first time. Of course, I was never going to become an addict, but I didn't quit drugs until '98 . . . After four years in the Marines I got a job as a sheriff's deputy. I worked as an undercover narcotics agent. Later on I got a job as a corporate security officer for a large pharmaceutical company with 1200 stores - another great job for a junkie.