For the past 29 years, I’ve had the privilege of conducting Substance Abuse and Driver Improvement classes for those convicted of a DWI.

These classes are mandated by the State of Louisiana. I conduct the classes three consecutive nights once a month, and those who are court-ordered must attend all three.

This week, after the last night, one young man wrote me the following:

“After more than half of my life battling depression, substance abuse, having unhealthy relationships and dozens of arrests, I decided I could not keep living this way. I didn’t have it in me.

“With all that was stacked against me, it took all that I had to seek help. I’ve had to push myself literally every minute of every day. Realizing that I’m the only one who can fix these problems was a very scary thought, because I WAS the problem.

“While attending an alcohol awareness class taught by Mr. Harold Keller, he said to me, ‘You are too hard on yourself.’ Hearing that was like a punch to the gut. Knowing that the only reason things have been changing and I have come as far as I have is because I’ve been extremely hard on myself. I thought, ‘This guy doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He’s supposed to be teaching a class full of people that need to be hard on themselves and he’s telling me not to be.’

“In the past, I would have been discouraged and stopped listening, but one of my biggest struggles has been being positive and having an open mind so I continued to listen.

“By the end of the class, I realized that I was so focused on changing everything I could change, I was being ‘too hard on myself’ about the things out of my control. Don’t let the things you cannot change discourage you from changing the things you can.”

— (Name Withheld)

If you have any questions or comments, please write Harold Keller at Get High on Life, P.O. Drawer U, Reserve, LA 70084, call 985-652-8477 or email hkeller@comcast.net.