6 Months Heroin-Free. I'm Planning my First Skydive to Celebrate - Spare an Upvote & a Resteem? I'll Pay it Forward!
Hey Steemians!
TL;DR: I'm trying to go on my first Skydiving adventure EVER, to celebrate being 6 months clean from Heroin (December 10th was my last date of use - June 10th will be my 6 months!)
I have a trip planned out to do it in Bangkok, in 2 weeks, but I need to raise $300. So I'm asking for your help, simply by upvoting/commenting/resteeming/being awesome Steemians!
If I do break $300, I'll build a custom designed website/portfolio/etc for a Steemit community member, free of charge. (Normally I charge $1000+ through my business, Fat Panda Design).
Please, Upvote & Resteem - Pay it Forward, So I can Pay it Forward <3
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It's been a really depressing/rough past few weeks on my end.
I am nearing my 6 months/180 days clean date (June 10th is the day - I stopped using on December 10th, 2016!).
I'm really proud of myself, and I want to reward myself by doing something I've been dreaming of doing for a long, long time.
I'm currently traveling in Thailand, but I'm also working at the same time on my web design/marketing business, and my new cryptocurrency consulting business that I just started.
I'm fucking exhausted, and I need a little break.
Financially, I'm only in Thailand because it's dirt cheap. I had money saved up before I came out here, but the unexpected happened last month...
I was extorted at the border about a month back, and they took everything i had money wise instead of tossing me in jail (i had overstayed my stamp by 5 days :/ should have LEGALLY only been a 2500 baht fine, but they wanted more, apparently...)
Anyways, since then I've been playing catch up financially. I haven't been able to do anything fun or out of the norm.
Any while I finally just saved enough to lease a cheap condo and put the deposit down, I'm pretty much broke again. (Literally $600 was enough for 1 month of rent/utilities and my 2 months deposit).
I need to take a break. I need to do something that I've dreamt of doing for a long time.
My 60 day chip that I earned back in Feb! I started Traveling in March.
I found I can go skydiving about 12 hours south in Bangkok for around $300 in total (includes trip there, few nights in a hostel, trip back).So, Steemians - are you feeling up to helping me raise a few steem bucks to support the cause?
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I'm trying really hard to break my old habits - this trip was about transformation for me. I used to be a huge heroin addict, and that consumed my life.
I'm also trying to break my old fears - and a huge fear of heights is one of them.
So, skydiving has been my plan/idea to break that fear, for a few years now. But I've continually had to put it off due to financial woes :/
It would be amazing if I could make this happen - and I would be eternally grateful.
So, hit that upvote, comment on this, resteem, and help a brother out!
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(Anything over $300 will go towards a cheap action cam/knock off GoPro - so I can film my first jump. I would LOVE to show you all how it went and share the experience with the community! (I can get a knockoff one in Bangkok w/ SD card for about $100 USD)
(I design/develop websites through my business, Fat Panda Design).
Much love, Steemians <3
Stay strong! 6 months is quite the achievement! Reach for the stars, many people here on Steem rooting for you! There will be a jump for you! I can Almost guarantee it!
Thank you so much!! I absolutely love the SteemIt community <3 It's only been a week but I've run into so many amazing, kind, selfless individuals - and I'm just so happy I found my way here. It's pretty much replaced my use of FB (minus talking to family members/clients), that's how much I love it here.
I would be so freaking happy if this came together because of Steem - but if it doesn't, I'm still extremely grateful and happy to be here.
People like you are the reason why!
Thanks so much :D
Awesome progress! You deserve to celebrate!
Thank you! Hopefully some whales come by who feel especially nice today :)
Go ahead!
I'm tryin'! Some love from the community would help right now <3 A resteem or two would probably go a long way! I'd love to go skydiving - and then donate a website to a SteemIt member when I get back :D
One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble. For a recovering addict, you are picking one mad city to visit.
I have already left - I've been in Chiang Mai for almost 2 months now. But yeah, Bangkok was madness and that was the main reason i left so quickly - I saw myself easily able to slip back into total fucking madness :/
Fantastic achievement and you must be well proud of yourself.
And.....oh my god...Kudos to you for wanting to conquer your fear of heights in this way, I couldn't do it, I'm terrified of heights.
I wish you all the success in the world.
Thank you so much! It's been a long road and I can't wait to go skydiving to celebrate this achievement in my life - to me it's a big deal and I need to make sure I keep it that way. This way, i'll always see the importance of hitting a new milestone with my sobriety :D And I appreciate it! If I win this contest I'm entered in I'll definitely be able to go Skydiving in the next week or so!
Wish me luck <3
Oh one hundred percent....you'll get there!
If I win this contest i'm entered in in two days - i'll have the money! Once it clears I'm GOING SKYDIVING WEEEE!!
My family had see the battle of overcoming addictions and the power that comes from working together as a family. It is amazing to see that support and drive.
It's important we take the time to celebrate the progress we make. Often times we get to a goal and move onto the next goal without ever even celebrating the progress.
Yeah, I can totally relate to that...my family went through hell because of me.
They also stuck by my side and were the only ones to NEVER give up on me - even when I'd done them so dirty or wrong while I was an addict, they STILL took me back in when I needed somewhere to stay after rehab. They helped me help myself get back on my feet.
Taking me to counseling appointments. Always there for me and taking time to talk to me. My family never gave up on me and honestly - I couldn't have done this without them. They truly made the difference in me staying clean after rehab - if it weren't for mine, I'd prolly had gone to live at a shelter and be right back at square 1 again.
So we truly have amazing families that we owe a lot of gratitude and thanks to, because they never gave up on us, even when we turned our backs on them or did them wrong.
I spent 3 months at home after rehab, and I am so happy I did. I got to rebuild my relationships with my mom, my sister, my dad, even my step father, because I was actually around, and clean, for once.
It's amazing to say now that I have great relationships with all of them, even though I live halfway across the world now (I started traveling again, and I'm currently in Thailand - my family is from New York).
As for celebrating progress - you're so right. That's something I'm really trying to work on - and I actually intend on celebrating my 6 months clean with treating myself to my first skydive ever - it's been a huge item on my bucket list for a while and I'm TERRIFIED of heights, so it'll be amazing to smash 2 things at once. I was trying to fundraise the $300 I need to do it, Steem is helping a bit but I may need to postpone until I earn some more.
Cheers!
I know you will see the success I have no doubt in my mind! I want to help you see this happen @fatpandadesign. DO a post about what you need to fundraise and I will help spread the good word.
shifting gears, Its crazy to see the value in a support structure to provide accountability and motivation to make success toward being and staying clean from any addiction. My brother would benefit so much from hearing your story. I need to get him on here to help him find others that can better relate to him as you can have that connection on a level that others would not have unless having been down in the trenches if you feel what I am saying.
I actually already started a post earlier brother - it's on my feed. Probably 6 or 7 in, only has like $1.40 raised so far or whatever. If I break the $300 mark and go skydiving - I'm actually going to MASSIVELY pay it forward.
I'm going to donate a $1000 custom designed website to 1 SteemIt community member who needs 1 (portfolio for their work, ecommerce site for new business launch, etc).
So if the community shows me some goodwill, in return I basically give away 3x what I get. And I'm okay with that, because I want to pay it forward!
And I definitely hear what you mean...please, share my story with your brother. You can also find it on Medium.
I can definitely connect and relate with those that have been in the trenches...we've fought those battles...many of my brothers never made it out. So many overdoses. I was nearly one of them.
If you ever need to talk man I'm here, and if you want your brother to chat with me he's absolutely welcome to. For real, I feel like the people I meet on here are like family, so I will be here for you guys like family. Anything you need. Just ask.
I'll grab that link for you too, it you don't mind resteeming and helping the cause. I'd fucking love to go skydiving to celebrate my 6 months free from heroin :D
I threw out a RESTEEM for you brother you deserve the spotlight! You will do much good with your story entering the minds of those lacking hope.
Aww man I fuckin appreciate that. Thank you kindly brother. I just hope My story will teach more people and touch more lives - if I am even able to help or inspire 1 person to get help with their addiction after reading my story, then everything I went through, was worth it. Because it may have saved someone else's life.
When we change who we are and focus on trying to be selfless, we are able to give so much more and try and be such better people. That's what I'm really trying to do in life - if I get something, I pay it forward 2x as much - I have been a taker my whole life, now it's time to start giving back and helping those who need help <3
Congratulations on being clean for six months! That is quite an achievement. I hope you get to have your skydiving adventure, though it might be closer to your 7 month anniversary, which would be great too. I'm resteeming the article and hope that gets you a few more upvotes. I'd like to know more about your cryptocurrency consulting business. What kind of services would you have to offer to others? I also could potentially be in the market for a website design down the road, so please keep in touch :)
While I'm here I want to draw your attention to the VIVAconomy. You can get lots of information by checking the #viva tag right here on Steemit, and the website is https://vivaco.in/). I think based on your story and interests that getting involved might be a great fit for you.
Congratulations on being clean. I've witnessed what drugs can do to a person, so its really heart-warming to see anyone breaking the habit! Just about an hour ago I also got some good news from someone close to me that they have been off drugs for a while as well. Not 6 months, but at least its a start.
Thank you so much! that's also some amazing news you just received - i hopee they remain clean and on the path to sobriety :)
Good luck, man. Resteemed with a schnitzel of that sweet upvote juice.
Thanks buddy <3
Conngrats and all the best :) Hope you will manage to raise the money ;) Resteemed ;)
Thank you so much! Maybe if I can catch a whale or two, I'll raise it all! And then one lucky Steemian in need of a Website is going to be INSANELY happy when I donate a FREE website to him after my trip <3
How will you choose the one who gets it ;) ? Can I apply ? :D
I will have to put together some sort of requirements sheet - but it'll be made fairly so that anyone that's deserving and really needs one for legitimate business purposes (will have to show proof of business ownership) will be eligible to win it - maybe a drawing that people can enter and I'll screen eligibility :)
Celebrating being heroin free, definitely something I can get behind. Always happy to support someone bettering them self! Good luck to you @fatpandadesign, 6 months is great but as I'm sure you know it's still only the start. Pulling for you man!
Man I really appreciate you posting this. It's so uplifting to see such compassion for humanity in this community - I wasn't expecting this level of kindness at all. I am absolutely in love with the SteemIt community, you guys are amazing.
Totally appreciate it and yeah bro - 6 months isn't shit. I still have to go the rest of my life! But, it's a decent start. Just gotta keep chuggin' along ;)
Thanks for stopping' by brother. I followed you!! Cheers
That's really all you can do, take everday as rhe next challenge, which it sounds like you are already doing! Keep on it brother, keep on it!
You're absolutely right - day by day. Just for today. :)
Thanks for the support, you rock! High five :D