David Crosby Speaks of his drugs use and what saved him.

David Crosby recently died. By now that is not news to any of you. Also, like many of you, my early adult life was partly marked by the music and lyrics of Crosby, Stills and Nash. Even today, when I hear their voices harmonized in that way unique to them, the feelings and events of that time come rushing back to me, both the smiles and the tragedies.
A couple of years ago, only, Dan Rather conducted this interview as part of his The Big Interview program. The entire interview can be found here:    • The Big Interview with Dan Rather: Cr...  
In one part of the interview, David Crosby recounts his experience with drugs. At the low point of his drug use, he surrendered himself to arrest and turned himself in to a Texas jail, where he spent a year of his life. That was in 1985. According to him, that year saved his life, because otherwise, he says with great confidence, “I wouldn’t be here.” He was 44 at the time and would live for another 38 years.
Later in life, David wrote a letter to the judge who sentenced him to prison to thank him, and to let him know that in this one case anyway, the system worked the way it is supposed to work.
You have probably heard before that a large part of the so-called “homeless problem” is accounted for by drug abuse, maybe as much as 85% or more. Yet the laws of California create just the opposite conditions that saved David Crosby’s life. You have heard from other recovered addicts before, and they all say the same thing. Social tolerance of drug abuse is simply death on the installment plan, and with today’s drugs, that debt can be called at any moment.
We don’t seem to listen to those who have come through addiction to rediscover life. Maybe we will listen to this guy. He gave us more than most of us can ever give. Now he’s gone, but we did get to keep him around for nearly four extra decades. Many, many in his world didn’t fare so well.
When we know what needs to be done, yet we fail to do it, things fall apart. It is the rare person who can emerge from the wreckage and tell us about it. Every law and policy surrounding drug addiction work make success stories even rarer. We are not so stupid that we can’t understand why. If you’re curious, here is the clip of that story, in the words and from the mouth of David Crosby, may he rest in peace.