Life In A Bong, How Pot Ruined My Life & How I Got It Back

By Tim Krass

Life In A Bong is the story of one man’s insidious relationship with marijuana addiction and his struggle to finally quit and find sobriety. It takes the reader through four decades of devotion to what is often considered a ‘benign’ drug. Ecstasy turns to darkness as his pot habit shatters his health, career, marriage, and friendships. The author’s black hole of a life is almost extinguished, after suicide bouts, living on the street, and having a heart attack, all followed by taking another toke.

Like alcohol, just because pot is becoming legal does not mean that marijuana is not addictive. Certainly many recreational users have no dangerous repercussions. But new data from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism indicates that 30% of all users are or have a strong propensity to be addicted to the so-called ‘stealth’ drug. That means 3 out of every 10 Americans who used marijuana in the past year were classified as having a marijuana use disorder, being drug dependent, or being marijuana addicts, and the numbers are growing like wildfire. The bottom line is that pot is no longer the across the board harmless weed that gives everyone a cookie cutter, safe, fun high. This is serious business.

Who are these people? One-third of users old and new are part of the profile for addictive personalities and come in all ages (teens score higher) sizes, shapes, and races. But there are a number of factors that can contribute to someone's vulnerability including a family history of addiction, genetics, past trauma or abuse, and social factors. The author reveals his own challenges with depression and years of being mistreated as a child. He, like millions of people, was a naïve user, and never realized he fit an addiction profile and until recently, few studies illuminated the dangers of getting high.

It is now time to pay attention. Getting pot in some states is easier than ordering a pizza. With laws being loosened across the country, medical benefits being touted, and new businesses cashing in on what they see as an emerging bonanza, more and more people are at risk.

Life In A Bong is a timely cautionary tale and a heartfelt case in point of how addiction to pot can ruin someone’s life. By the grace of his higher power, the author successfully crawled through the minefields of recovery to take the reader through the rigorous steps necessary to finally rebuild his life, piece by piece. This deeply personal story is his calling to educate, inspire, and make a positive difference before it’s too late.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tim Krass
• Release date: Jul 1, 2016
• ISBN: 9781310776670

Tim Krass

Tim Krass is a veteran media and entertainment executive, who is also a writer as well as a leadership coach for business executives. Krass holds a B.A. in Business Administration from Georgetown University and an M.A. in Sport Management from Ohio State University. Krass has had executive roles with major media companies such as FOX and Univision where he exceeded their network distribution goals and fine-tuned their leadership style in order to maximize asset value in today's multi-platform, multi-media environment.He has served on the Board of Directors for the Southern California Cable Marketing Council, the Board of Advisors of the Georgetown University Entertainment and Media Alliance, and was Chairman of the Magic Johnson Sports Star Award, benefiting the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Krass has also volunteered for Little League, Big Brothers of Los Angeles, and HELP of Carpinteria, California. He is an avid golfer and a fan of European soccer, college and professional basketball, and college football. Krass resides in El Segundo, CA, where he is an active participant in both Marijuana Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous.

Book preview

Life in a Bong

How Pot Ruined My Life & How I Got It Back

Tim Krass

Cover Illustration by Katie Pepperman

Copyright 2016 by Tim Krass

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Part One: Life in a Bong

Chapter 1. Purple Haze, All in My Brain

Chapter 2. My Paranoia Is Driving Me Home

Chapter 3. My Relationships with Marijuana and Women

Chapter 4. Maximum Arrogance and Defiance

Chapter 5. I Stuffed the Death of My Parents

Chapter 6. It is a Disease of the Ego

Chapter 7. The Walls Come Tumbling Down

Part Two: Crawling Out of the Bong

Chapter 8. Will You Be My Sponsor, Please?

Chapter 9. All You Need is Love: Family and Addiction

Chapter 10. Twelve Step Meetings Are a Safe Place, Really?

Chapter 11. Offing Myself, but What Will I Do with My Dog?

Chapter 12. How the Hell Will I Sleep in My Car?

Chapter 13. I’d Rather Be Happy Than Right

Part Three: Outside the Bong

Chapter 14. Today, I’m Walking on the Sunny Side of the Street

Chapter 15. Giving to Others and Expecting Nothing in Return

Chapter 16. I Finally Find My Relationship with My Higher Power

Chapter 17. Acceptance Is the Solution

Epilogue

Acknowledgements

My friend Miles has been my biggest supporter, and I am grateful for his tireless guidance and care for me as a human being. I am not sure I would still be living if it were not for such a great man.

I also want to send a shout-out to my longtime friend Gary, who made the connection that enabled this book to be written.

I never, ever thought that I would write a book. It just never crossed my mind, nor did I think I could ever accomplish something like that. It was unimaginable until I met my writing coach, Ilene, who pushed and prodded me at every juncture to create a high-quality piece of work. It’s hard to write about your past and to work through the pain associated with life experiences. It’s even harder to accept the direction of another person, in order to make the book something to be proud of. Thank you, Ilene.

Brent, my friend of over thirty years, has always been a great supporter of my work on this book and the cause behind it. His words of encouragement spurred me on to go all the way to communicate my intended message.

James Foulk—whose story is similar to mine—has stood by me, shoulder-to-shoulder throughout our friendship. I couldn’t ask for a better person to be friends with. His support is infinite and much appreciated.

I would be remiss if I did not thank my higher power for the guidance in my life to realize that my purpose is to help others and to love my neighbor at all times.

Introduction

The purple bong glowed in the palm of my hand. I caressed this bad plastic baby, slid her into my mouth, and took a strong hit. My uptight mind and tense body shifted, melted, and found a new place to land. I felt a level of relaxation I’d never known before, as an amorous ease washed over me. Just like that, I was transformed, suddenly filled with a strong sense of direction…or was it compulsion? Little did I know that everything I had ever worked for—and everything I was working toward—was about to go up in smoke.

Peer pressure is rough at all ages, but especially for teenagers and young adults. Everyone wants to run with their crowd and do the thing that everyone else is doing, whether it’s using drugs, alcohol, or taking on the latest hair or clothing fad. It takes a lot of courage to swim against the tide, be who you really want to be, and still keep the company of your peers, especially if you are yearning to fit in and find your place.

Marijuana soothes the daily pain (albeit temporarily) that one may not even be aware of. In my case, I thought I grew up in an average and normal household with average and normal parents. Until I worked the twelve steps in Marijuana Anonymous (forty-one years after my first glorious hit), I never realized that I had been abused by my mom and dad. It was quite a painful insight and it took a lot of psychological and personal work to get through my heavy pain and deep denial. In my household, physical, emotional, and verbal abuse were simply the norm. When Dad wasn’t hitting me or Mom wasn’t calling me names, both were in collusion in some weird, silent agreement to actively protect me and my brother from the trials and challenges of the world outside. When I finally moved out of the house and was on my own, life’s challenges felt like a heavy one-two punch that brought me to my knees. I had little self-esteem, but on top of my lack of confidence, I was totally ill-equipped to deal with whatever happened. The pain of feeling so alone and vulnerable became almost unbearable. But once I held that glowing bong in my hands, far, far away in my college dorm, I found what seemed to be a friendly numbing agent that offered to keep decades of pain at arm’s length, for a very long time.

I like marijuana and everything about it. I like the smell of pot. There are so many old school rituals around pot, and I enjoyed the physical and emotional sensations they evoked. I liked to clean the pot and feel the green, sticky buds in my fingers as I prepped the best marijuana to roll a joint or stuff a bong. I loved to smell my fingers after I cleaned the pot. I wanted to use it as cologne! The chase to score made my heart race. The anticipation I felt when a joint was being rolled was a total rush. I knew minds would be distorted and laughter would ensue. Pot rituals made me feel super cool. It felt like I had some international secret that no one else knew. I was powerful, in charge, and always ready to blow my mind.

When I went out to buy my first bong I was super giddy. I had never been in a head shop before. It was like one big candy store, filled with a million options. I had no idea what I was doing, and hoped I didn’t look stupid. I didn’t know much, but I knew I really vibed with the bong my college buddy gave me to initiate me into the stoner club. I wanted the first bong I bought myself to give me the same feeling of affinity.

I looked at more than a hundred different devices in various shapes and colors. Then I saw it: there it was, in the middle of the top shelf. This curvy contraption—in purple, my favorite color—simply called out to me. I paid for it and walked out of the shop like I had just robbed a Brink’s truck. I was carrying illegal contraband. Shaking like a leaf in anticipation of taking the first hit, I made my way home and initiated this pretty purple thing under the covers in my bed. This secret illegal moment remains frozen in my memories.

Today, the world is at a crossroads as far as marijuana is concerned. It is legal now in a handful of states in the US and parts of Europe. Some say that within a year, every state will legalize it. It’s not that difficult to score pot today. The government and tobacco companies are looking to increase their revenues, and there’s obviously a gold mine in marijuana distribution. But at what price?

I was amazed in 2007, when pot stores began to appear on the street, just like liquor stores. The cheesiest thing was going to get your medical marijuana card, your ticket into the marijuana dispensary. It had nothing to do with your health (I would estimate that maybe 2% of marijuana users use it for legitimate pain control). Everyone wanted your money or a ‘legal’ high. I admit, I just wanted the ticket to every ride at Disneyland! It was nuts being in these pot shops. Talking shop with the budtender was a special—but anxious—time. You only had a few minutes to make a choice since there was always a line of people clamoring to get in. The pressure mounted as I wondered what I should get. White Widow or Alaskan Thunderfuck? When I was in college I dreamed of pot stores. Wouldn’t it be nice if I could go into 7-11 and buy some pot with a soda and a sandwich? Be careful what you ask for. Today it’s a reality. And it’s not always a pretty outcome.

The strength of today’s pot is much greater than that of pot twenty years ago. THC levels of 25-29% are not uncommon. THC or tetrahydrocannabinol is the psychoactive constituent of marijuana. Today’s pot is roughly 1000% stronger than in the seventies! Did you