In 1995, my life was dangerously shifting on shaking ground. The monkey on my back was consuming more drugs than usual: more crack, more weed, more booze, more pills. Pretty soon I was in unsurmountable debt; more than I could afford. Then came the irrational decision — the ones you tend to make when riding high and in need of more gas — to make an extra buck. A so-called friend and I obtained…