My comment was auto-deleted...I'll put this at the top then...These bots suck.
How difficult was earning the degree? I didn't really do well in high school, but it is my dream to obtain a college degree. And do you have any suggestions for how I can turn this short-term sobriety into long-term sobriety? I don't want to fuck up...But I know a lot of people who do.
Edit: Damn...After writing all this I just read that you are done with the AMA. Well, I'll just leave it here then. If you are a young guy who struggles with the cycle of jail and drug/alcohol abuse and you want to type a bit of your story out like I did, don't hesitate to PM me! I know this shit is hard, and sometimes you just want someone to hear you out. Reading this brought tears to my eyes. I am one of the young men you aim to help. My father is serving a 22 year Federal Prison sentence at FCI Fort Worth. He was arrested when I was 15 years old after US Marshals raided my home, held my family at gunpoint (for the 2nd time), and took my mother for 3 hours to find him (he was a fugitive). That was 5 years ago. The Marshals told me my mom was facing 99 years for picking up my father's prescription (how they knew she knew where he was) but she would be ok if she led them to him. I was so scared, but she finally came home. We visited him in County the next day and that was it. I was arrested for the first time at 17 for putting a police officer in the hospital after he attacked me. I was high on cocaine and drunk, my first taste of trouble. I got off easy, 46 days in a Mental Health Facility (where I was diagnosed with Bipolar 1 for the first time), the anger management/drug courses, etc. But at 18, I repeated that offense, and was subsequently treated like an adult. This time I spent 31 days in the hole on 24 hour lockdown. 2 showers and 2 social worker visits were the only times my door opened. The whole time I thought I was going to prison. I just didn't know when. I had a marijuana grow op running in the house, and in my mind I was sure they'd went inside and found all that too. I still remember the CO telling me out of nowhere, "Pack it up last name here you're ride will be here in 2 hours!". I was so out of it I thought they were transferring me to prison. I knew my attorney had already represented me in court without me. I thought everything was said and done. This was my first time in jail and I really didn't know how this all worked. I just remembered my dad went straight from this same jail to prison. But to my surprise, they transferred me to a psych ward and my mom picked me up the next day. It turns out I got off on an insanity plea and my nightmare was over. I got arrested two more times after that for battery and both cases were no-filed. I assumed it was because of my mental health history. Today I am almost 5 months clean/sober. I don't do hard drugs anymore, drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, and I don't even smoke weed. I am in a program trying to get my medication regiment figured out, and receiving therapy. I haven't been arrested in just a little bit over a year. I just passed my first GED exam and I'm studying with my sister's boyfriend to complete that ASAP! And the craziest part, my dream is to obtain a degree in Psychology just like you!