Support From An Old Friend

[iknowicandoit]

I heard this morning from an old friend who has been supporting me in my quitting since before I decided to quit. She is a nurse and spent years in detox wards. She emails me every day with ideas to help in my quest. Today she was asking if my music was different when I was drinking and not drinking. So I told her I would mail her a bunch of CD's of mine from both periods and let her guess. I am proud of all my music I recorded but feel the non drinking Cd's are better. We'll see what she thinks. Should be interesting.

[martye]

Support From An Old Friend

I would love to know. Some of the best music like the doors for example I would not imagine being as good without the likes of LSD

I am not saying it is right to do drugs just an observation.

Where are you from I would love to hear them

[iknowicandoit]

Support From An Old Friend

Martye, Let me figure out how to contact you. Think how much better the Doors would have been without all the drugs and booze. Check out all the footage for Hendrix and as brilliant as he was some of it is pretty poor. Because he's a money making machine they put out a lot of stuff I'm sure he wouldn't approve of.

[mama bear]

Support From An Old Friend

YOU are a musician, right??
I sing (or used to) and a little boubon before facing a crowd helped. No LSD or anything
couldn't do that today!

[Hippyman]

Support From An Old Friend

iknowicandoit;1454162 wrote: I heard this morning from an old friend who has been supporting me in my quitting since before I decided to quit. She is a nurse and spent years in detox wards. She emails me every day with ideas to help in my quest. Today she was asking if my music was different when I was drinking and not drinking. So I told her I would mail her a bunch of CD's of mine from both periods and let her guess. I am proud of all my music I recorded but feel the non drinking Cd's are better. We'll see what she thinks. Should be interesting.

WOW, good on you. Your decision is already helping someone else with their addiction problem. I'm sure that I'm better at everything and anything I do when I'm sober. I feel sure the same will be true for you, as well. :goodjob:

[paulywogg]

Support From An Old Friend

alot of famous musicians were scared to get sober because they didnt think there music would be the same

[iknowicandoit]

Support From An Old Friend

Polly that's a fear they all have but from my experience it is not true. In my worst drinking days I drank very little on the gig saving it for later because it is hard to play jazz if you don't have your wits and faculties about you. Oh sure you can fool the audience, might even fool the band but you can't fool yourself. Till this day I dread gigs where guys are drunk or stoned. That makes the music a drag to create. And by the way no matter what any one says I don't buy that I am in the least bit famous. When you start believing your own press that's worse than playing on drugs or alcohol.

[Cinders]

Support From An Old Friend

Steve Tyler said that once he got sober, there was more room for sex and rock and roll!!

:-)

[iknowicandoit]

Support From An Old Friend

Sex and jazz. Great combination.

[aihflvt]

Support From An Old Friend

I'd be interested in hearing if there's a difference as well. Let us know what your friend thinks. Addiction problems aren't just in the realm of jazz or rock. I'm a classical musician and I've played in orchestras where people come to performances falling down drunk. I played in an opera company where people were openly bringing vodka and other alcohol in water bottles down into the pit. I saw one musician slumped backwards in his chair during a performance of Mozart's Don Giovanni because he said if sat up he would have vomited. A lot of people have no idea just how seedy the classical music world can be.

[Hippyman]

Support From An Old Friend

aihflvt;1454338 wrote: I'd be interested in hearing if there's a difference as well. Let us know what your friend thinks. Addiction problems aren't just in the realm of jazz or rock. I'm a classical musician and I've played in orchestras where people come to performances falling down drunk. I played in an opera company where people were openly bringing vodka and other alcohol in water bottles down into the pit. I saw one musician slumped backwards in his chair during a performance of Mozart's Don Giovanni because he said if sat up he would have vomited. A lot of people have no idea just how seedy the classical music world can be.

How sad I feel for them! There but for the grace of God go I....:upset:

[FallenAngel]

Support From An Old Friend

iknowicandoit;1454162 wrote: I heard this morning from an old friend who has been supporting me in my quitting since before I decided to quit. She is a nurse and spent years in detox wards. She emails me every day with ideas to help in my quest.

I just wanted to comment on the other part of your post, the part about your friend.

How blessed you are to have someone like that in your life! I never had any f2f friends that I could talk to, and I didn't consider AA meetings to be an option. However, I did have an online friend that took me under their wing. They were there at the beginning & got me through the tough times... and I'm grateful to say, that they are still in my life, ready to help whenever I need a shoulder to lean on.
I'm glad to have someone like that too!

[iknowicandoit]

Support From An Old Friend

aihflt, I did a few jazz at the philharmonic concerts in my time. The after concert parties were wild. What a memory. I got in a card game with some first violins once and walked out with a little under two grand when it broke up. I helped they were so smashed they were trying to draw inside straights and straight flushes when I had the king of their flush suit sitting on the table. So I agree with you about classical musicians.

[iknowicandoit]

Support From An Old Friend

Fallen Angel, I am lucky to have her. I have known her since she was about ten years old. She has been very helpful and encouraging for me and I needed that to get the guts up to just quit. Funny thing is I haven't seen her in at least 20 years . But she is there for me. I am lucky.