RAY

[Kelly Cochran]

I did the CT thing back in '97 from the heroin. It was tough going through
withdrawals fast and hard like that, and 1/2 way through it I realized too
late that I was in serious danger of dying doing it that way, but I was too
far into delirium to even call for help, had there even been anybody to call
or a phone to call them with as I went through it alone in an empty house in
New Orleans with no electricity, no running water, no phone, and in the
middle of summer. Watching the scenes in the movie brought that time
straight back to me; it was tough to watch and remember.
As for when you've got a 10,000 lb gorilla on your back, sometimes it's best
to just cut him free and suffer the pain for a short time than to try to
wean him off. I didn't believe I had whatever it takes to just "do some" and
try to step down, I'd been trying for a year to do that, and when you're
doing highly addictive pure smack, you can't judge how heavy something's
going to hit you. I also couldn't fathom doing methadone for the 2 1/2 years
they were telling me it would take to get me free from drugs...never
understood the concept of taking drugs to get off drugs, and still don't. So
I just did the cold turkey thing out of desperation with being strung out
all the time and with a strong will to live. Lucky for me, it worked out
okay and I got through it, but I would recommend having someone nearby to
call and a phone that works to call an ambulance if need be. I'm still drug
free after 7 years now.
As for the movie, I can't figure out how he got himself off unassisted. Just
don't see that a possible, especially with smack and abscesses.

-----Original Message-----
From: Blues Music List [mailto:BLUES-L@LISTS.NETSPACE.ORG] On Behalf Of Blue
Stew
Sent: Saturday, November 27, 2004 11:02 PM
To: BLUES-L@LISTS.NETSPACE.ORG
Subject: Re: RAY

It was painful for me watching Ray go through a week of Hell while
going "cold Turkey".  Why not ease off, little by little?  Why not
methadone, vallium or something to make it a little less grueling?

I broke my leg in August and got addicted to prscription pain killers.
 I tried the "ct" method and couldn't do it.  I'm now simply cutting
down the dosage day by day.

Why put yourself through that if you don't have to?
mike

On Sat, 27 Nov 2004 03:38:53 EST, rjblues23@aol.com <rjblues23@aol.com>
wrote:
> Rick, I read Ray's autobiography, "Brother Ray" (with David Ritz).  He
> states that while going blind as a boy he memorized the route he rode his
bike  so
> he could still do it when he went completely blind. This is what I
imagine he
> did with the aforementioned golf cart -- someone showed him the route  he
> memorized it. The man was a genius for real!  He ran the band,  did
> arrangements,supported a family, got all kinds of woman, wrote hit tunes,
produced
> sessions.   I don't think he could see a thing and he wrote  horn charts
in brail
> according to his book.  I know from a close  friend who spent years with
Ray's
> band that one certain member of the band  always went back to Ray's room
after
> every show.   Dig?
>
> -RJ Spangler
>
> Date:    Thu, 25 Nov 2004 08:19:53  -0600
> From:    Ricky Stevens <_deltabluz@hotmail.com_
>
(http://us.f534.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=deltabluz@hotmail.com&YY=12424&
order=down&sort=date&pos=0) >
> Subject: Re:  RAY
>
> Apparently he could also see well enough to write charts for  sessions.
> He
> also drove a golf cart around his place in  Louisiana.
>
> Fact is stranger than truth.
>
> rick
> ----- Original  Message -----
> From: "hoodoojimmy" <_hoodoojimmy@cox.net_
>
(http://us.f534.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=hoodoojimmy@cox.net&YY=12424&or
der=down&sort=date&pos=0) >
> To: <_BLUES-L@LISTS.NETSPACE.ORG_
>
(http://us.f534.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=BLUES-L@LISTS.NETSPACE.ORG&YY=1
2424&order=down&sort=date&pos=0) >
> Sent: Thursday,  November 25, 2004 5:46 AM
> Subject: Re: RAY
>
> > ok.........here's  my one question about "ray".........ray obviously
> shot
> up
> > many  times by himself...according to the movie.........which  means
> cooking,
> > syringing, and hitting a vein.....blind? that seems  difficult?
> >
> > hoodoojimmy
> > (obviously inexperienced with  this particular finery of life)
>
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