You know, I don’t even know where to start. So I will just start here. Last night I got the call that another friend Jeremy Scott who I grew up with through out almost my entire childhood passed away because of a drug overdose.

Being in the entertainment industry, I am obviously surrounded by offers to do hard drugs fairly often. However I understand that as I put a vision together for what I want in my future, I didn’t write on that list that I would want “a constant drug addiction followed by an early death.”

Being someone who really really loves attempting to turn this negative into a positive, I feel a responsibility to do what I can to make something out of this. That’s why I wanted to write this. Because if anyone reads this, and it pumps them to stop someone close to them or themselves to change their drug addiction then something good came out of this loss of my buddy.

Jeremy Scott was someone I always had a great time with and felt a lot of love from this guy. He is not in the entertainment business. He is another kid who is just like your friends, or you, or me. He is a human.

Further more, he was a kid that lived in my neighborhood who I played baseball with in the bottom cul-de-sac every day. Also playing that game was another best childhood friend, Garth Hoblitzel.

Garth died from a drug overdose about 7 months ago. I had a very close friend of mine tell me that her childhood friend died of a drug overdose 2 days ago. I could also list about 7 or 8 comics I knew, or another 10 or so people I went to High school with that died from drugs.

I don’t get it. At what point are we so unhappy that even when we are given the leverage of “You could lose your life at any second” that we still don’t care?

All drugs are, are a desire to feel in the moment. They are a way to distract you from the problems from your past and your future, they are something that keep you focused on the now. Many things have this, with TV, you can also be distracted, same with random sex, being in a relationship or many other things. I do it with stand-up. I guarantee that the high I get from stand-up blows the shit out of the high people get from heroin. I promise you this. Its because in time, I found what I love to do and am good at. Everybody has this. They are good at something, and have the opportunity every second to expose that, and make a career out of it.

Here is my point. The only reason people get into this mode in the first place is that they are missing one thing. LOVE. They are feeling a lack of connection to themselves, and the world around them. If they had love, they wouldn’t need that high because they would be feeling it healthfully all of the time.

If you are reading this and you think its corny, then you yourself are missing out on what I am talking about. Experience figuring yourself out, and take a moment to be happy that you are alive. You can do anything in this world. I started with limited resources, and now I am able to do this. I make a lot doing this and people come to me in comedy clubs to feel that same “high” and feel in the moment. I am so thankful I was given this, and developed this with practice.

When you know someone on drugs, and you get mad at them for being on them, then they dont feel love. Which feeds the drug urge.

Death is so simple. It can come at the drop of a hat. It seems like this far away thing, but I keep hearing about another friends funeral coming up, who could have become a successful millionaire with a beautiful family. They could have done amazing things for their family and friends with all they created. They could have become actors, doctors, teachers, and really lived life to its fullest.

Why do we do this? We are so fucking lucky to be given bodies and lives that work, and have sight, and lungs and hearing, and muscles. I think its so interesting when I see a drug addict wash his car, but not take care of his body. Your body is what you use to drive that car and to get you more cars. Its your life.

Next time you see a friend or family member on drugs, please give them love. Connect with them, do something for them. Enjoy something with them. Then when they love you back, give them something amazing about themselves to focus on. Start slowly getting them to appreciate what they have, or even better, what they can create. Take a second tonight and literally just smile about what you have, then write down what you want to do. With a goal and a vision, the drug addiction wont even make sense.

Please do this. It could save a life of someone you love a lot, but just didnt know how to tell them. I wish so much I had taken that action more, so that I could still have my friends here.

So all I can do is this. The loss of Jeremy last night gave me the leverage to say, enough is enough. Feel this now and the future and that’s it. No dwelling on what we did wrong, lets focus on what we can do right.

Thanks to, Mitch Hedberg, Kelly Moran, Garth Hoblitzel, David Paco, Jeremy Scott and all the others for giving me the gift of drive to share their stories and hopefully stop this pain. I miss you guys very very much.

The best love comes from within, but sometimes people need a jump start.

Much love to all of you.
Kyle Cease