Pura vida! Tico

Oye Mae! Where are you from in Costa Rica? I was in Alajuela in '93 as an exchange student. What kind of business are you opening there? Roofing?

Thank you, I believe in doing something, always have. When I get back there, and you decide to drop in holler. It looks like I'll be there later this year, we had A hiccup with the money side. Working hard to fix that. Being A roofer, I'm glued to the weather on the local news, I hang hurricane magnets in the windows and trees trying to attract one,lol. That would give me finances that I won't have to have an investor.

Tico, that's straight from the heart bro! I commend you for wanting to give back! I have many friends still from Costa Rica. I speak fluent Spanish if there is anything you ever need my help with, I will try and help. I have fond memories of that country and I was accepted with open arms. I'm not a rich man but do know commercial roofing if you ever need a hand teaching them this skill. Let me know. I haven't been to Florida in years , lol!

I have no idea what to say. I see parallels though. I even remember how upset I was hte day Pa died. My frigging druggie brother wanted to take the day off! Aaaarhh! I ended up wasting the day also since the job needed at least two of us. I think I went swimming or something. Not much different when step dad croaked either.

I sense some of what you've been throgh and I can only say 'Congratultions'. You saw the cause and effects, and nipped it at the roof. Good man!. :cheer:

tinner666 Said: Wow Tico! Both my brothers were druggies. Ones dead and othe rin a home after a brain aneurysm. I wrote them off years back. To me a druggie is an animal, not a relative. I couldnt trust them, even in my house. I have a bad taste in my mouth for them. Yes, I tried things and stayed out for a one year stretch. Picked a day to quit playing, had afling the night before and never looked back. My hats off to you sir. Especially for giving back. :cheer: I havent and doubt I ever will. :unsure: Again, congratulations sir! :cheer:

You're exactly right. An animal, the literature I use actually has A line in it that says " we were reduced to the animal level". While true in most respects, theirs some of us that actually lived as an animal from an even earlier age. I fought for survival, I had A stepfather that despised me because I was always going out into the woods and bringing home anything that crawled slithered or squawked. I played sports, I just didn't invest in it like he did. He was from panama, an avid and good baseball player, class boxer and jockey. He came to the states in the early 50's as A jockey. For him sports gave him A way to improve. It never dawned on me that A better life was/is available to athletes. I was good at sports and actually excelled in swimming breaking the U of M 500 meter freestyle pool record at 15. Guess what happened to that, yep, the dope wins. I don't, and never really blamed the disease like some do. I am aware of where the bridge pinnacled and I got over that. I empathize with the family of addicts. Believe this, in my heart, I do what I do with them as more of the provoking force behind what motivates me. I come from A family of addicts, mom did time, I did time, brothers in and out of jail, one with A mental problem, drug related. It is what it is. Their is hope and it's not the people or family members that should suffer, sadly they do and some more than the addict. We parade around entitled, the victim, the misunderstood. That's why I'm choosing to do this. Not many people will identify their issues and openly admit it to A faceless venue. We do recover. Heck, I know recovering Catholics,lol.

Wow Tico! Both my brothers were druggies. One's dead and othe rin a home after a brain aneurysm. I wrote them off years back. To me a druggie is an animal, not a relative. I couldn't trust them, even in my house. I have a bad taste in my mouth for them. Yes, I tried things and stayed 'out' for a one year stretch. Picked a day to quit playing, had afling the night before and never looked back. My hat's off to you sir. Especially for giving back. :cheer: I haven't and doubt I ever will. :unsure: Again, congratulations sir! :cheer:

GOD's gift to us is our potential Our gift to HIM is what we do with it

Wow tico!

I've been several times. Stayed several mos.in 92 and then 07, 08 lived there most of the year and again in 10 for A long siesta. It's gonna be A tranquil living life program for addicts that have been through the 28 day treatment program, some, many, often. I'm an addict with almost 24 years clean. 20 years ago when I was released from prison I'd gained 4 years clean inside. After hurricane Andrew hit, I was traveling to my brothers home in Miami back and forth for parole visits. That went on for 2 years. I finally settled with A woman back in NC and she to has the disease. Long story short, I'm very active in NA, I started building homes. In meetings, which I a still attend several A week at 24 years, I saw alot of people coming out of treatment, my wife worked in treatment and it broke my heart to see them shuffle in and out. One day I hired A guy, great roof frame builder, decimal point rafter cutter type. He couldn't string A week together. I spoke with my wife, we had A nice home, I/we moved him into the spare bedroom. He did what I did step for step, I busted his ass at work, in recovery work, gathering the knowledge of how to rebuild. He cooked as we cooked, cleaned as we cleaned. I mean every chore down to dog walking. His previous failures were because they just patted him on the back with 28 days and said c-ya. I gave him side by side guidance and participation. I gave him equality in task. I didn't bow to his attitude, and this cat was one of them scratch the bears ass in A phone booth with sand paper and be damned. He moved on, clean and is doing well all these years later. We did it again, with another, and I've since then done it with 17 guys and 14 have stayed clean. We are opening A similar type program. We are going to provide the life skills. At the same time, as it's non profit, we will go to the church in the Tico community and find folks who have roof leaks, need home painting, window and plumbing repairs, door repair/replacement. In doing so, I can give them skills. Teaching them tool use, methodology of repairs for construction. I am A pretty well versed comfort food cook. We will give them home chores that will reteach them these skills and add what isn't there. Cooking, cleaning, yard work, the things that make A house A home. At the same time walking them through the recovery literature. I've lived through, from A kid, sexual abuse, violent home life, beaten unconscious the first time at 9. I fought harder to live in the home than I did on the street. When I engage people I understand these things. I bring my own experiences and overcomings to the table. I know this, people don't as diligently listen to kids as they could when they are afflicted with such A demonic curse. No one listened to me, I was laughed at by A school teacher for coming to school with welts on my legs, she asked me what I did to deserve that. I was the odd kid out, white kid, black extended family, Spanish stepfather in an all white Miami racist community before the Cubans became affluent. I was ostracized for this. Today I've forgiven. What was my cross is now my mantra. I did, so can you. I've, in 24 years not ever answered my phone, or turned my back on an addict. Our goal will be to give them what was so freely given to me. We aren't going to have 20-30 people in A cycle. Their will be 6, we will bring 3 from wherever, and then sponsor 3 costa rican kids. To parallel the cultures and give each the other as A mirror of life and experiences. We will have 2-3 people working with the 6 T all times. Their won't be people coming and going, clock punching and coming to work in the morning. They will be evidenced to all of the semantics of even the clean addict for years. A view of how we deal and what we deal with. The program will be A minimum of 60 days. From my experience many addicts don't purge the drugs, the emotional state or defiance completely enough to really get A grasp on recovery. 60 days minimum, and should they choose to stay longer they can, at which point they would be moved to A role position which would further enhance their program. They then become accountable and will have A seasoned person beside them to assist in skill coping management. Facilities here in the states are designed to rotate, cash checks and flood A personal account. Everything we get after replenishing the investor will be put back into the program. I personally am sickened that people charge what they do for 28 days, and they truly offer nothing more than canned recovery. We have A much deeper thought process ingrained into kids today. That 30-40 year old stuff is outdated. We will have A few weigh points thought the country based on the climate to offer the client diversity in wildlife and off time activities. We will do the usual tourist type events, based on progress. I have A friend, he tells me that I look for the good in people to A fault. I say back to him, it's where I find their fault that I grab them and attempt to bring them back.