Lexa [1556957] —
Three months ago I wrote what I hoped would be the first of several articles investigating the human side of Torn City. Sadly and somewhat ironically, my own personal life got in the way and Torn Real Life had to be put on hiatus. However, while I was busy dealing with a shit-covered fan, a player by the name of -LuciousLyon- got in touch with the Torn City Times via the Tell Your Story feature to tell us how Torn had helped him with his real-life struggles.
"Up until about 550 days ago I was an opiate addict. As I was trying to fill my empty time with stuff to do instead of drugs I discovered Torn. This has kept my mind stimulated enough to abstain from drug use. I'd like to take this time to personally that all staff and civilians alike. Without you guys none of this would have been possible."
-LuciousLyon- has clearly endured through some tough times, but thankfully, he has been able to get his life back on track of late. For this, he should be commended, and hopefully, his continued example will serve to help other Torn players who may be experiencing similar struggles. But one single paragraph alone isn't enough to tell this man's story, so I got in touch with -LuciousLyon- to find out more.
"Where to even start? From the beginning I guess. At the age of 15 I started using small milligram oxys and slowly evolved to higher doses. Then I discovered heroin. It is at this point, aged 18 where I meet my current wife who becomes pregnant and life seems okay. I continue to use daily but I am not too into it, or so I thought. I gradually get drawn deeper into my addiction and slowly but surely I push my family to the side for drugs."
"By 2012 we have 3 sons together and I am fully addicted to drugs using needles. To support my addiction and family I resort to stealing and ripping off those who are close to me. Next thing I know I am facing 2 years in prison. I struggle on probation for nearly 3 years before my probation officer sends me to jail for 6 months."
"During the whole sentence I remain clean and released with no strings attached. From this point onwards I am scared to get back into drugs. I search the web and BAM! I find Torn City. I manage to curb the cravings long enough to get ahold of the reins of this rollercoaster of a life that I have been living."
"As of 562 days ago today (17th April 2018) I have managed to remain abstinent from drug use. I know that it was not specifically Torn who saved me but it has played a huge role in keeping my mind sane and on the right track."
It is quite thought-provoking that a game many of us use solely for pleasure has taken such an important role in -LusciousLyon-'s life. After listening to his story and thanking him for sharing, I was curious to know more about his journey.
1) What was it like in Prison? Is it really as bad as you hear? Is there a story in particular that you could possibly tell us about?
"Prison is not as bad as people make it out to be. I am sure bigger city prisons are bad but they all have the same concept; they hold criminals. Yes, it sucks do not get me wrong, but if you are there to just do you and your time, you'll do quite fine. When I first entered the POD I was scared as f***. 250+ inmates and
they put little ol' white me with Deebo from the Friday film series, so it was nerve racking. I learnt that he (my cellmate) was actually pretty cool."
Pictured: Deebo, hardly your ideal cellmate.
2) When you found Torn, what were you expecting it to be like? Has it lived up too or exceeded your expectations?
"When I started playing Torn I had previous game play experience with a game called Life-Of-Crime.com It was very similar but at the same time quite different. Their site had gone offline for quite sometime. So I searched 'games similar to L.O.C.' and here I am.
3) What part of Torn do you enjoy the most? Is there anything you would change?
"I enjoy the diverse crowd and how hard it is to succeed. It makes it more interesting and it is a game you can keep playing long term."
4) Could you describe in a little more detail how Torn has helped keep your mind sane and on track?
"So as far as keeping me "sane" so to speak, Torn is very complex and requires a lot of attention. If you want to be anything at all, other then a punching bag. So it takes up all of my free time, which I used before as USING TIME!"
5) Do you regret doing drugs?
"I do not regret going through what I went through. It made me who I am today. It is a part of me. If I regret anything it is what I have put my family through while they sat and watched their husband, father, son, brother, deteriorate in front of their eyes. It saddens me when I think of what I have done but I remember where I am now and how much my sons need me and I move forward."
6) After being released from Jail what scared you from returning to drugs?
"After my release my head was clear from the fog of drugs. I had seen my path of destruction behind me and never wanted to hurt my loved ones the way I had by not being there for them when they needed
me most. The fear of not being able to care for my wife and kids is what kept me at bay."
7) Do you have advice for any reader out there who may be struggling with addiction?
"If I could give any advice I would say stop now while you think you can. Drugs do nothing for you. If you want to smoke a little pot that is fine, but these other drugs will kill you, and you only die once. Do you want the last memory of you to your kids or loved ones to be you sitting in you own s**t and vomit with a needle hanging out of you arm? Smarten up and get off the stuff."
A great many thanks to -LuciousLyon- for sharing his time and story with me. I wish him the very best for the future. I hope we are able to catch up with him again soon, and that when we do, his recent hard work has continued to pay off.
If you are on a journey that you would like to share, either for your own reasons or the benefit of others, contact me, Avarliea, and tell me your tale. I love to hear how Torn interacts with the real lives of real people, so please drop by my profile and send me a message! Make sure to include 'Newspaper: Real Life Story' in the message heading.
Original article
In this edition of Torn City IRL, we chat to -LuciousLyon-, a man whose use of Torn helped him navigate some truly difficult times.
Three months ago I wrote what I hoped would be the first of several articles investigating the human side of Torn City. Sadly and somewhat ironically, my own personal life got in the way and Torn Real Life had to be put on hiatus. However, while I was busy dealing with a shit-covered fan, a player by the name of -LuciousLyon- got in touch with the Torn City Times via the Tell Your Story feature to tell us how Torn had helped him with his real-life struggles.
"Up until about 550 days ago I was an opiate addict. As I was trying to fill my empty time with stuff to do instead of drugs I discovered Torn. This has kept my mind stimulated enough to abstain from drug use. I'd like to take this time to personally that all staff and civilians alike. Without you guys none of this would have been possible."
-LuciousLyon- has clearly endured through some tough times, but thankfully, he has been able to get his life back on track of late. For this, he should be commended, and hopefully, his continued example will serve to help other Torn players who may be experiencing similar struggles. But one single paragraph alone isn't enough to tell this man's story, so I got in touch with -LuciousLyon- to find out more.
"Where to even start? From the beginning I guess. At the age of 15 I started using small milligram oxys and slowly evolved to higher doses. Then I discovered heroin. It is at this point, aged 18 where I meet my current wife who becomes pregnant and life seems okay. I continue to use daily but I am not too into it, or so I thought. I gradually get drawn deeper into my addiction and slowly but surely I push my family to the side for drugs."
"By 2012 we have 3 sons together and I am fully addicted to drugs using needles. To support my addiction and family I resort to stealing and ripping off those who are close to me. Next thing I know I am facing 2 years in prison. I struggle on probation for nearly 3 years before my probation officer sends me to jail for 6 months."
"During the whole sentence I remain clean and released with no strings attached. From this point onwards I am scared to get back into drugs. I search the web and BAM! I find Torn City. I manage to curb the cravings long enough to get ahold of the reins of this rollercoaster of a life that I have been living."
"As of 562 days ago today (17th April 2018) I have managed to remain abstinent from drug use. I know that it was not specifically Torn who saved me but it has played a huge role in keeping my mind sane and on the right track."
It is quite thought-provoking that a game many of us use solely for pleasure has taken such an important role in -LusciousLyon-'s life. After listening to his story and thanking him for sharing, I was curious to know more about his journey.
1) What was it like in Prison? Is it really as bad as you hear? Is there a story in particular that you could possibly tell us about?
"Prison is not as bad as people make it out to be. I am sure bigger city prisons are bad but they all have the same concept; they hold criminals. Yes, it sucks do not get me wrong, but if you are there to just do you and your time, you'll do quite fine. When I first entered the POD I was scared as f***. 250+ inmates and
they put little ol' white me with Deebo from the Friday film series, so it was nerve racking. I learnt that he (my cellmate) was actually pretty cool."
Pictured: Deebo, hardly your ideal cellmate.
2) When you found Torn, what were you expecting it to be like? Has it lived up too or exceeded your expectations?
"When I started playing Torn I had previous game play experience with a game called Life-Of-Crime.com It was very similar but at the same time quite different. Their site had gone offline for quite sometime. So I searched 'games similar to L.O.C.' and here I am.
3) What part of Torn do you enjoy the most? Is there anything you would change?
"I enjoy the diverse crowd and how hard it is to succeed. It makes it more interesting and it is a game you can keep playing long term."
4) Could you describe in a little more detail how Torn has helped keep your mind sane and on track?
"So as far as keeping me "sane" so to speak, Torn is very complex and requires a lot of attention. If you want to be anything at all, other then a punching bag. So it takes up all of my free time, which I used before as USING TIME!"
5) Do you regret doing drugs?
"I do not regret going through what I went through. It made me who I am today. It is a part of me. If I regret anything it is what I have put my family through while they sat and watched their husband, father, son, brother, deteriorate in front of their eyes. It saddens me when I think of what I have done but I remember where I am now and how much my sons need me and I move forward."
6) After being released from Jail what scared you from returning to drugs?
"After my release my head was clear from the fog of drugs. I had seen my path of destruction behind me and never wanted to hurt my loved ones the way I had by not being there for them when they needed
me most. The fear of not being able to care for my wife and kids is what kept me at bay."
7) Do you have advice for any reader out there who may be struggling with addiction?
"If I could give any advice I would say stop now while you think you can. Drugs do nothing for you. If you want to smoke a little pot that is fine, but these other drugs will kill you, and you only die once. Do you want the last memory of you to your kids or loved ones to be you sitting in you own s**t and vomit with a needle hanging out of you arm? Smarten up and get off the stuff."
A great many thanks to -LuciousLyon- for sharing his time and story with me. I wish him the very best for the future. I hope we are able to catch up with him again soon, and that when we do, his recent hard work has continued to pay off.
If you are on a journey that you would like to share, either for your own reasons or the benefit of others, contact me, Avarliea, and tell me your tale. I love to hear how Torn interacts with the real lives of real people, so please drop by my profile and send me a message! Make sure to include 'Newspaper: Real Life Story' in the message heading.
Original article
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