F
future
Guest
I took this from another site. It was written by SB:
Paying the Price by *SB* of MMI.
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Anyone who has been serious about lifting weights and training knows that you pay a price in one way or another. Time spent in the gym or prepping meals is time lost doing other things like reading, watching movies, hanging out with friends, etc... Money spent on supplements, equipment, and even gear, is money that is not used on other things like a vacation. Dedication to getting stronger and bigger is usually dedication not directed towards other projects like a college degree, starting a business, volunteering?. In effect, it seems to me, we pay the price in one way or another for our common narrow interests. I am not complaining, but just stating what I take to be the simple facts of doing what we do?and we do them by choice.
There are a few more ways that we can pay the price, but we don?t like to talk about it. Almost weekly, we read about a new bust. Sometimes, it is people we know going down, and at other times, we haven?t a clue about them. But remember, these folks had a life--just like us, and a strange fate became them. They paid the price with their freedom and future. They also might lose loved ones like wives/kids and a ton of money defending themselves. If you have ever had your freedom and future taken away, you will realize that it is too high of a price to pay for a few additional pounds of muscle or extra strength to get to some "great" total. While there are no guarantees, it seems to me, at some point, the risks outweigh the benefits. Why am I doing this? When that question hits you, get out and go clean.
MasswithClass is our constant reminder of the price we can pay with our health. One of my closest friends on this very board fought a liver ailment and almost lost his health. Make no mistake, not all of us are immune from the negative effects of gear usage. Recently, a member was removed from this board due to, among other things, being way too young to be taking gear. I saw him post on another board and he?s talking about already losing his hair at 18 years old. He?s paying the price for a bad choice. What else might be happening to him? Paying the price with your health is too much. What many don?t realize is that when you pay the price with your health, you also pay for it with your freedom and future. If you have ever been seriously ill, you know that it is the worst possible thing that can happen to you. If you feel bad, get out, and get clean. Why would you stay on something that makes you feel like shit.
Why do I write this? I am concerned about the direction of the online community. We?ve taken for granted our anonymity and have become a group of ?untouchables? behind our keyboards. Then, a simple order or cycle goes wrong, and the ?untouchable? character behind the keyboard now has to face the real world and the consequences of his/her choices. And, at that point, has to face it alone. It takes that kind of event to change one?s perspective and I hope I can make that perspective a bit clearer without you risking the negative consequences.
People get busted. People get sick, and some even die. I don?t want anyone I know ending up in these categories before their time. I think we all need to get back to paying the price in the right kind of way: training right, eating right, getting plenty of rest, improving your overall health, and developing as a person. I?ve been clean almost two years and I can honestly say I don?t miss the other side of the game. I don?t miss looking over my shoulder or worrying about my health. It is amazing to me now, but I realized that gear usage literally infects your thinking. You no longer look at the world in the same way?and for many of us, myself included, that was bad. I denied a lot of things about myself and afterwards had to come to grips with who and what I had become. I had become a selfish person who didn?t care about those around him, but also didn?t even care enough about himself, health-wise. Don?t become me.
I will not be around much for the next few weeks, or maybe even a month, or maybe not at all. I am taking my own advice and moving forward into a new area of life where I can improve the quality of my life and health. I just really wanted to say something about life and how we need to get back to paying the right kind of price.
If this post offends you or doesn't ring a bell in your head, then it is not your time. I know, I was once there.
"I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul."
Be good,
SB
