Posts
27646
Joined
7/22/2007
Location
St Helens, OR, USA
Edited Date/Time
11/18/2012 4:15pm
I knew it was going to happen sooner or later and I just got a call from another friend , that my Friend Brad parnell just died last night from a drug overdose( Heroin ).
He was one of my best friends for about 22 years up until about 3 months ago. He fought the drug addiction for the past two years and lied to me and all his other friends time after time when we tried to help. 3 months ago , I had a falling out with him and told him to stay away from my property and so forth , as he was stealing things from just about everyone I knew. He started crying on the phone and it was one of the hardest things I had ever done , was to tell him to go away.
His parents were like my 2nd set of parents through some rough times in my own life. He left his 5yr and 8yr old boys without a father and he will be missed more than he'll ever know.
Today is just not a good day.
He was one of my best friends for about 22 years up until about 3 months ago. He fought the drug addiction for the past two years and lied to me and all his other friends time after time when we tried to help. 3 months ago , I had a falling out with him and told him to stay away from my property and so forth , as he was stealing things from just about everyone I knew. He started crying on the phone and it was one of the hardest things I had ever done , was to tell him to go away.
His parents were like my 2nd set of parents through some rough times in my own life. He left his 5yr and 8yr old boys without a father and he will be missed more than he'll ever know.
Today is just not a good day.
From what I've seen heroin is a nasty demon.
It's a terrible thing to see. The drugs simply become much, much more important than friends, or even staying alive.
Sorry to hear.
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Quite a while back I lost 2 friends within a year to the same shit.....one to heroin and the other to crack.
There is nothing more frustrating and heartbreaking then watching someone you know and love be sucked dry by drugs.
Don't beat yourself up with any of that "I should have done something more" stuff.......when someone is in that spiral you can't reach in and grab them out no matter how hard you try.
Hang in there man and try to remember the times that you had with your friend before the drugs because that is who he really was.
I have lost 2 friends and one nephew the same way, and most recently a close friend to suicide. Its very sad and strange at the same time. Just try to remember the good times you had with him.
We can't change these things; but, we can be there for those that are left-behind.
Jus' the way you've written about Brad and his family shows us that they are all lucky to have you in their lives.
Only the Best thoughts and prayers to you and yours during this difficult time.
Well Wishes
It's dawning on me now , what that person must feel like on the other end , who just posted their specific thread , and this feeling really , really sucks. I'll admit , I have some of the "I should have tried to do more" thing going on. And maybe I could have? I know i'm really disappointed in Brad right now , because I think it was a selfish thing to do. But I can't help but feel disappointed in myself because I think I could have done something a little more. tried harder i guess?
I know there is nothing I could have done , as his own family couldn't help him either. He was one of our "riding crew"....we all grew up together on these dirt bikes , and it was probably the one thing....that helped keep all of us together.
Our "group" has a get together for every live SX round , and we all made plans to make sure we got together tomorrow night for sure. We will all sit around , watch the race and talk about how much we'll miss Brad. I just really , really wish that he would of kicked the bad habits.....so he could be there with us.
Why I'm posting this on a moto board , I have no idea. I guess I look at this place as my home away from home , and enjoy talking to a lot of you guys. I can sit here and type all day , but I'm tired of being on the phone and talking......I'm just plain worn out right now.
Man , these days can really suck. But i just wanted to say thanks to all you guys who responded to my post. Just reading something is helping me keep my mind off things. So thanks again.
I had a really good friend loose a brother to drugs this November and she went through similar stuff. I have never personally lost a close friend or relative to drugs, but even just seeing the pain in her family made me hurt for them, I can not imagine what it is like when it is someone that close to you.
It is different than loosing someone to an accident because of all the "what ifs" that it brings up.
Please don't let it get you down. Cheer up bud and try to remember the good times.
One guy I use to carpool to work with and I changed jobs and no longer stayed in contact as much (wish I had). He told me he met a girl in rehab and he sounded excited and happy about it. Turned out she was a “Black Widow” type and ultimately helped lead him to his OD.
His parents took it really hard as they are devout Mormons and I still see them once a year. I have his picture on my fridge to this day, it happened about 6 years ago.
Another friend from my hometown was in our regular crew of dirt bike buddies “growing up” in our teen years. Then one day he just QUIT riding and spent more time at the horse track, gambling, boozing and drugs. That was about 35 years ago and about 5 years ago I got a call he died in his sleep from all the abuse he did to his body.
It’s weird how life is, here my good buddy Jeff and I have continued on in this dangerous sport of motocross and many 500 miles trip through the desert and here we are still going on.
Just goes to show how which path you go on in life can determine your fate and there’s not much anyone can do about it, so don’t beat yourself up…..
So when you see your buddies tomorrow night have a group hug and have a toast to your friend and make sure you continue to do what you love in LIFE—RIDE!
Please keep in mind, you are not at fault, you did nothing wrong.
When an addict refuses help, they've chosen their drug of choice over you, help and life.
It is not your fault.
Not sure how close you really were, but if you do feel bad or having a hard time grasping the situation with the "why's," might I suggest you attend a narc-anon meeting or two, it can really help you or someone else try to better understand the mind of an addict and how everyone came to this terrible point.
My condolences.
When an addict refuses help, they've chosen their drug of choice over you, help and life.
It is not your fault.
Embrace this.
It's the ABSOLUTE truth.
your are not at fault,theres is nothing you can do when people are in that deep.
my condolences.
I'm sorry for you Jeffro. Life just doesn't make sense sometimes....
Pit Row
Hold your head high Jeffro, I'm sure you did all that you could. Don't second guess yourself up beat yourself up. Right now it seems like your friends mom could really use your help.
Anyways.....i just wanted to say thanks to all you guys who responded to my thread here. I was in the real dumper when I originally wrote it. The only thing I can do now , is just keep moving on. I've been in this situation more times then I should have for someone my age. In the last 10 years....I have lost a lot of friends and family members.
Just remember those two innocent kids are without a dad right now. It will make you feel better inside knowing that your making there life better.
My sincere condolences!
So true. I've witnessed the destruction drugs and alcohol cause first hand.
And you stole my dog!
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