Posts by Casey Ramirez2

Look, I’m not exactly out here tearing everything up—I’m actually still learning the ropes—but honestly, I’ve been holding my own pretty well since I'm basically just doing a version of the job I used to do back in the day 😉

it actually works even if you don't specify a 'purpose' 😉

uh..
stumbled upon this old thread of mine by accident..
anyway, I ended up going to a meeting in Los Angeles, spent a year there grinding it out, and now—believe it or not—I’ve been sober for five years straight and I'm back to running a successful business..
huge thanks to everyone who shared advice along the way, and seriously, if anyone out there is struggling and needs a hand, just reach out.. you can hit me up here or just shoot me a DM..

Look, if you can actually 'see' that foreign currency account on E*TRADE, then I guess it'll work.. ☕
All you gotta do is just transfer the funds from your foreign currency account over to your checking—it’ll just calculate everything based on the buying exchange rate they give you.

Hey, do you happen to know how the whole registration process works for stocks I picked up through an E*TRADE account involving the Democratic Party (or whatever they're calling the SEC these days)? Like, say I bought some shares—if dividends ever actually show up, does that stuff just hit my account automatically, or am I gonna have to jump through hoops and contact the SEC specifically to make sure I get paid?
thanks 🙂

jadeorca11 said:

I can't believe I'm actually sitting here typing this out, but man, I just had to get my thoughts down on paper—well, on screen, I guess! You know how I get when I start thinking about all this stuff; I just end up spiraling into these long-winded rants because there's so much to unpack. Honestly, it feels like every time we think we've finally got a handle on things, something else comes along to throw us completely off balance. It’s like that one time I was trying to fix my old Ford in the driveway and just when I thought I had the spark plugs sorted, the whole alternator decided to give up the ghost right then and there. Life, right? It just keeps throwing curveballs. Anyway, I've been mulling over what everyone's been saying lately, and I feel like there's a massive disconnect between what people claim to be happening and what's actually going down on the ground here in the States. It's wild if you really stop to think about it. kaže:
Man, I’ve been wondering about the same thing lately—how exactly am I supposed to get my hands on that Token and the verification number? Like, do I actually have to drag myself down to a local branch and wait in line like it’s the 90s, or can I just sort this whole thing out online from my couch? Seriously, what's the deal with getting that Token set up?🙏

So, here’s the deal with the Token—it's that little physical security device you pick up at an E*TRADE branch once you've officially set everything up with them. It’s super handy, but I know some of you are probably itching for something a bit more modern. Well, good news: they’re actually rolling out virtual Tokens soon that live right on your smartphone! Just a heads-up though, even if you want the digital version, you’ll still need to swing by a local branch to get the ball rolling.

Look, if you're thinking about using E*TRADE just to play around on the local exchange, you're kind of missing the point. It’s basically built just for our domestic market, so you aren't getting any real access to international stocks or global markets—it's strictly limited to the local index. Honestly, it’s not exactly the powerhouse service people think it is. If I were in your shoes, I’d definitely look into hiring a specialized broker who actually lives and breathes this specific market. You should probably head over to a site like Investopedia or check out some dedicated financial forums to find someone who really knows their stuff.

man, I guess it'll do for now, at least while I'm still figuring out how this whole stock market thing works 😉 my only real beef with it is the transaction fees—minimum $17 which basically means if I buy anything less than $3.25 I'm getting absolutely hammered on commissions...

Does anyone actually know how to go about trading on international exchanges using E*TRADE...
Also, is there anyone here who regularly uses both ZBinvest links and E*TRADE? If you do, please hit me up via PM—I’ve got a few things I'm a bit fuzzy on and could really use some clarity. 😉

Alright, like I promised, I'm jumping back in tonight to try and add some perspective to all these heavy questions, answers, and debates going on.

Sandra Hernandez13: You’re asking about walking issues and stuff like that. Well, look, personally I never touched heroin, but I’ve seen enough people who did to know exactly what you're talking about. It’s tragic, really—most people who’ve been hooked for a long time, especially if they were riding synthetic stuff and cocaine, end up with permanent psychological issues like tics, balance problems, or trouble concentrating. Usually, the heroin addicts have more physiological stuff going on—mostly wrecked veins that mess with their motor skills, hands, and legs.
I mean, I deal with memory lapses, focus issues, and sometimes my coordination feels just... off. So yeah, it's a real thing.

There’s one other thing I really need to hammer home here: it is honestly heartbreaking how today's kids don't even hit rehab centers until after they've spent years frying their brains on synthetics, only to finally reach the stage where they have to move down to heroin just to become "real" junkies!
Where's the catch? The catch is that synthetic drugs PERMANENTLY wreck your brain, and they do it way faster and much more violently than heroin ever could. How big of a deal this is for recovery is proven by the fact that experts are seriously considering splitting addiction programs into two groups: one for the "classic" heroin addicts and another for those who ended up there after burning through ecstasy, speed, and all that other garbage, including cocaine.
And you know what? It's actually way easier to fix a "classic" addict! Mostly because of my years of experience, but also because once their brain gets cleaned out for about six months, it actually returns to its normal chemical structure and starts functioning like a healthy person again—aside from whatever lingering psychological issues or permanent damage I mentioned earlier.
Unfortunately, for those who "only" do the synthetic stuff, the damage is already so deep by the time they hit the heroin stage that they can't function normally without antidepressants, and let's be real—that isn't actually "treatment."

And right there lies the answer to all the endless arguments about methadone, various pills, or even those crazy electroshock treatments! The only real way out is group psychotherapy after at least six months of being clean—not even an aspirin.
Sure, the pills help during the initial detox phase, but personally, before I started methadone therapy, I was doing okay both at work and socially. But once I started mixing it with actual drugs for a few months, I completely fell apart, both physically and mentally.
Anyway, I eventually got clean using Hep, and then I headed off to a residential facility.
It was Elvira's community, the one your friend was at. Their whole vibe is basically prayer and manual labor—like working with a shovel—to keep you positive and engaged! Don't be surprised if he acts like that. The only snag is that the whole program is designed so that once people leave, they head straight for a totally NEW environment. They run away from anything that reminds them of drugs like the devil from a crucifix!

Sadly, most people can't pull that off. That's why the program at zajednica susret is way better suited for our situation, not to mention the fact that all these facilities are located right here in the States and run by locals.
The approach is built on group therapy, finding common ground with the family, and REINTEGRATING into your old life in a stable mental state—one where you aren't constantly tempted to spiral back down. Plus, in every major US city, there are counseling centers where the transition continues even after you leave rehab, giving you full support from therapists and other former addicts.

In theory, all these programs have merit. And even though I personally never thought I'd be the type to go to a residential center (GROSS!!!) and essentially "admit" to everyone that I'm an addict (TOTAL FAILURE!!), in the end, I'm just glad I was desperate enough—but smart enough—to actually do it!
Because seriously, what's one or two or three years compared to a whole lifetime? And I've still got my whole life ahead of me...

Anyway, I didn't plan on writing such a novel... if anyone has questions, I'm happy to answer them!

Just one more note: you can't help someone if they don't want to be helped, and that's just the cold, hard truth. Also, the success rate for treatment before age 27 is three times lower than it is for older people... it all comes down to maturity, I guess.
It's just a shame that kids nowadays fry their brains on synthetics first and then move on to heroin. They would be so much healthier and have way better chances at recovery if they just started with heroin right out of the gate!
I mean, sure, it’d be ideal if they just stayed stuck in some hazy, dreamlike state—you know, like they're constantly under the influence of something like Xanax or just lost in a permanent fog—for the rest of their lives, but let's be real... that almost never actually happens.

Sandra Hernandez13 said:I was wondering if any of you guys have heard anything about Sister Elvira’s community over in Italy?
Like, does anyone know how things actually work over there?
Btw,
I'm also curious—once you leave a place like that, do those old cravings start hitting you again out of nowhere? And if they do, how do you even deal with that?

I haven't swung by here in a minute, and honestly, I'm kind of slammed tonight.
Just to give you the short version: Sister Elvira is a wonderful woman, truly, but there are definitely better options out there...
The zajednica susret group is an American community and, in my opinion, way more suited to what people actually need compared to Cenaccoll!

Anyway, I gotta run right now, but I'll definitely try to write up some more of my thoughts tomorrow or sometime in the next few days...

Look, I’m not gonna say this is tragic, because at the end of the day, you guys are just products of the environment you grew up in...
but honestly, the attitudes you're pushing aren't helping anyone trying to actually rebuild their lives after years of dealing with addiction and—more often than not—years of rehab...
Yeah, sure, it’s true that addiction is a relapsing disease...
and it’s also true that it isn't something you just "cure" once and for all...
but despite all that, there are literally thousands of living, breathing examples out there proving you can live a totally normal life even while managing a condition like this...
So, uh... someone mentioned communes or rehab centers? Look, everyone’s got their own individual story, but personally, until I completely hit a wall and checked myself into a residential program (and by the way, we have some decent ones here in the States—better than half the places in Italy, including some state-run facilities where, say, you could go on medical leave and the company is legally required to hold your job for you), I couldn't get my act together...

And yeah, the most important part is that mental "click"—that moment where you finally realize life is actually worth something more...

What else...?
Oh, right... not every addict is some street bum, and not everyone is so desperate that they turn to crime...
I mean, sure, those are the people you see hanging around downtown or wherever, but there are ten times more people you pass every single day wearing suits and killing it in their careers... and they don't label themselves as addicts because, heaven forbid, they aren't sticking needles in their arms! :O
I was exactly like that myself... right up until my mind snapped, my body started failing me, and my high-earning salary—which, given our lifestyle, was pretty significant—hit a massive deficit, leaving me with maybe $20 in my checking account by the end of the month...

That was when I finally reached out for help, and I don't regret it for a second, even if I still have to learn how to walk through this valley of tears without any crutches :P

If anyone actually wants to know anything, just ask...

Heh..
Whatever..
It’s me again...
Yeah.. I survived..
Yeah.. I'm doing alright..
And yeah.. I'm actually moving, relocating to NYC, so I'm heading out there next week to hunt for an apartment and a job🙂
Thanks, everyone.. if I said anything totally stupid before, I wasn't really in my right mind..
I just feel bad because I haven't seen anyone else reach out with similar issues.. Is it just me, or is there zero addicts on this Reddit??

Just wanted to kick this thread back into gear for a second and share my own take on how things are going with this whole situation:

Basically, I spent a long time digging through options—and making sure to steer clear of those weird religious cult setups where the "healing" is just some excuse to drill more faith into you via priests (which, let’s be real, isn't going to do anything for me)—so I finally narrowed it down to two groups that actually take a psychological approach. I'm looking at the Susret community over in San Diego and Marjanovac out in Austin. I've officially signed up for both, already started talking to my boss about taking some medical leave, and fingers crossed that sometime in the next few months, I can actually go and get all this mental clutter out of my head.

Coas

For years, I kept playing this hero act, thinking I could just white-knuckle my way through everything—you know, that whole "I can handle it all" ego trip. But honestly? I finally hit a wall where I’m just straight-up disappointed in myself, so I actually reached out for help...

And man, being in this small town (St. Louis), especially since I'm an outsider here (a Ottawa resident), I got greeted by this incredibly toxic environment that almost seemed to relish seeing me struggle. I mean, don't get me wrong, there are good people—doctors, clergy, and obviously my girlfriend and parents—but then there’s this other crowd. Even some doctors, for crying out loud, treated my medical situation like it was some juicy piece of gossip for their coffee breaks. You couldn't make this stuff up! People are coming up to me talking about what I discussed with my doctor yesterday, and they even go as far as to claim I'm not doing anything to "get better." It's unbelievable. They pull this crap like, "Oh, you're back on methadone, so you must be using drugs again!" or "The fact that you told the doctor you want to look at other treatment options is just a stalling tactic because you don't actually want to get cured!" etc...

So, basically, combined with the total contempt I have for everything in this town, it pushed me to look for a support group in San Diego or somewhere similar, and I actually managed to find some solid leads, so I'm gonna look into that...

Now I've run into a second "issue"... I talked to the HR department at my company, and there's a real chance they'll approve my medical leave for the necessary period. But here's the snag: usually, they only approve inpatient hospital treatment, and the whole thing hinges on how costs are covered. In my case, we're talking about outpatient treatment which is free, so the admins aren't sure how that fits into the rules. I need to dig up some info on this... does anyone have experience dealing with corporate health insurance in the US, like some kind of private plan (God, it's like a mess, except in my case, it's a different company)? If I go on medical leave, they'll cover the costs, but I don't get how it works when everything is free—do they maybe have to pay some sort of compensation to the company for my lost workdays or something? And does this kind of community-based treatment even count as "inpatient" care under their policy?

I'm heading in today to get a formal diagnosis; maybe I'll label it as PTSD or something, we'll see what the doctor says... hopefully someone who won't spend the rest of the day gossiping about me all over town! If you have any leads 😢

Thanks for the links, man. I've got all the contact info for the US right here, so I'll pick through them and see what sticks..

And when I mentioned "good teams," I wasn't talking about some corporate outfit—I meant guys who have actually crawled through that hell themselves and are now out there helping others get back on their feet...

Anyway, the response to this thread has been pretty damn pathetic, honestly. Is there seriously nobody here willing to lend a hand to a struggling BBS member?

:P

Man, I can't seem to find a thread for this here, but it's been weighing on me lately—honestly, for years now...

Basically, I’ve been scouring the web trying to find some solid leads on recovery communities in the US or maybe over in Canada—ideally somewhere in Miami, because I keep hearing there are some really great groups down there—but I’m coming up totally empty...

Aside from a handful of random phone numbers, I can't find any actual info.

I'm specifically looking for details on communities in Miami or anywhere else in Florida, so if anyone knows of anything out there...
THANKS!