I can honestly say that Johnny clearly wears his heart on his sleeve, and you know he's a great guy for it. A lot of people THINK they know their favourite RU-vidrs, but Johnny leaves no doubts about the kind of man he is. Inspiring and encouraging. Thanks for sharing so much of yourself with us all!
One of my biggest regrets was when I was in first grade. I never had any friends and always got picked on and one day I had a chip on my shoulder and saw some kid while I was drinking water at a fountain I walked up and I spit water in his face and laughed at him. But I did not get away with it thank god my dad caught me and I was grounded HARD. I am 26 years old now and I still think about that to this day and wish I knew who that kid was and where he lived so I could apologize to him like a man. I always tend to look back at my past self and get mad at the stupid and down right mean things I've done but the past is the past all you can do is learn from your mistakes and keep moving forward
January 11th, 2012 My sister died of a heroin overdose. I was 15 and my world was shattered. without getting into the nitty gritty, you sincerely (along with petedorr) really saved my life, showing me a world that i had always known- but displaying the real depth of the beauty that comes with being an active appreciator of the arts. The world is absurd and never fails to astonish, that is why i believe arts are the only true escape sometimes. anyway man, I sincerely was a dick mostly out of anxiety, and my crazy life has taken so many strange turns- but i say all of this to say you have helped me be a better person. I treat people with sympathy and empathy as much as i can bc i know we are all suffering- in our own way. Anyway hope you read this, you deserve to know your impact on my life- and im sure many others. Im in japan now, for a week, having my own life changing England-esque experience. I hope you continue to help the world
really man i am 36 years old and was on pain pills and heroin for 21 years and ive been clean now for six months and have gotten fully back to gaming as a kid i had every system even sega cd and now channels like this one and other game chans got me to go get help and now ive been on suboxone for 6 months and have built it back pretty good i gt a switch a snes classic and og snes a sega and sega cd and a ps 4 bro thx ppl have been saved bc of this channel FR thx A LOT
Yeah I’m on methadone but I still double and triple dose and take a lot of benzos, adderall, and neurontin. Usually just above prescribed amounts but still. Bout to be sick for a day cause I already took my Thursday bottle and I have to wait til Friday for more. Well I saved like 15 Mg’s maybe but not much.
COD ProCamp yeah I actually got down to 10mg’s and that’s the only time I actually felt the sickness. Got in a car accident and such and ended up going back up on my dose. Best of luck to you.
John, I think it's wonderful that you have gotten in to rehab some of your friends. You're not alone though in losing people. My girlfriend hung herself last year on thanksgiving day. We had only been dating for a month and she had a history of suicide attempts for years before I even met her, but I felt soooooo guilty. Like how did I not see how much pain she was in and did I egg her on by showing her depressing music, etc etc. I couldn't even sit at her funeral, I got up and walked out. I think about her all the time and sometimes it'll dawn on me what she did and I get so heartbroken for her. Anyways I'm sure you remember the better times u had with guys like Rob and Andrew and the ones who aren't around may have left some fond memories for you to love and be grateful for. Here's to our fallen comrades!!
Wow. So many times you have told us about the fun part of your younger days. The skateboarding, anime, videogames, smoking and playing games with Rob Man, etc. It sounds like such an awesome time, and I'm sure it was. But it's interesting to hear about the darker side of your childhood.
I used to do a lot of drugs in the late 80s early 90s, i was an skateboarder too and i can relate to a lot of stuff you said. To me it was always a battle to keep darkness at bay, with video games and music always being the positive force keeping me from going insane. Today i'm clean, and i have been for more than 15 years and i can safely say video games saved my life and that wouldn't even be an exaggeration.
I think it's a testament to the sort of person you are that the video turned into a melancholy story about lost friends and how video games saved you from that. You're a great influence my dude - long may it continue!
I️ lost a lot of friends to drugs myself. I’m 33 and I️ lost a a couple friends where there drug addiction escalated to heroin and crack and it took their lives at a young age. It’s nice that you still see him every now and then. Even though he’s a crack addict I’m sure he is lonely and appreciates seeing you again.
I'm a recovering addict so I can definitely appreciate this story dude. It's so hard getting out of that kinda stuff, but once someone finally does, there's definitely a renewed love for life and art and hobbies and creativity.
I’ve been gaming all my life, but at 18 slipped into serious addiction. As I grew sick of addiction I started gaming again, and it helped save my life. People trying to ban games & say they make ppl violent, they don’t understand that games have positive impacts on ppl. One of my earliest memories is getting a Super Nintendo for my birthday, then gaming with all my cousins at my grandma’s house on the weekends.
@@SwatyChopsuey I am too right now, tapering off Gabapentin and then transitioning off Suboxone for good. Feels like I'm finally going at the final boss. Are you doing okay?
@@drainedeyes4268 Just Alcool for me rn, but it's like I stop for a week and then be like oh I've done well and then binge drink and feel like shit again, been on and off for a year now after drinking way too much everyday for 7 years. But the fact I'm able to stop for days now is progress Ig lol
@@SwatyChopsuey no you’re right, you’re making progress, just keep working at it. I’m actually about to try using Psilocybin, either macro or microdosing to help reset my brain. Have you ever considered it? They recently finally did some studies and found it was 70-80% effective compared to nicotine patches (16% success) for people quitting nicotine - and they’re finding it’s very effective for quitting alcohol and cocaine. They’re also currently doing studies to confirm its use for opiate addicts (my current situation). I’m working on my own batch right now for personal medicinal use, really hoping it can help me get off these shit drugs. I know it sounds nuts, but I highly recommend you check out the research. It works by shutting down the default network the brain uses to function and opening up all these normally closed neural connections - it essentially resets the brain and shuts down old pathways that contribute to habits and addictions and opens up the possibilities for quitting or forming new healthier habits. You just have to integrate the experiences effectively and use what you learn from them, put it to use. Highly recommend you check it out, tons of people are trying it now. It’s also objectively the safest drug we have in terms of overdose potential. I do hope things get better for you soon, though, also video games are good for the soul ❤️
Bit of a sexist comment, Clyde. Larry Bundy comments on every gaming video also and nobody accuses him of trickery. Some people just watch a lot of videos. Some of them are cute girls. Imagine that.
I wouldn't worry about any sins of the past, Johnny. I still remember running into you at a convention in Seattle, and being taken aback at how incredibly nice you are in real life. :D
So sad about Jason. A lot of times, addiction expresses itself not just through substance abuse but also kleptomania and even things like eating disorders (either direction). It can all go kind of hand-in-hand and often has to do with some type of compulsion or neurosis, or even just gets blanketed as general OCD. It is serious stuff.
Watched this when you uploaded this vid Johnny, and find myself coming back to it because its such a interesting and honestly somewhat relatable story. Hoping for even more videos like this !
Serious question, have you ever thought about writing an autobiography or something similar? A graphic novel with anime-esque illustrations by you would be awesome. You have so many interesting stories from various years in your life and tell them in such a captivating way. I'd buy one for sure!
I was a popular boy at youth school in 1991. I used to bother other people especially a boy. I have always regretted how I behaved. Now 2 years ago, I met this man I used to bother and apologize for everything I had done. Now today we are friends. I think school is like a prison. If you are to survive then you have to stand up for yourself. If you do not, people will step on you. And it's sad and tragic how we humans are
Drugs and crime always hit me the fuckin hardest lost all but 2 friends to them damn near myself but thank goodness I found comfort in my brother, last couple of friends and video games or I'd be a lost soul. Great vid man, subbed.
I love that he is so honest. Like the story when Rob had the Dreamcast and waited for Johnny to come round before he put it on. Then when Johnny got the N64, Rob and another pal was waiting in his house, Johnny got angry and kicked them out 😄. Then invited him round later and still didn't let him play on it. BUT! The fact he can talk about it and be honest is RARE. Love the videos and Rob n Johnny's friendship. It is rare today. Stay safe people.
Johnny I've been getting into your videos more and more lately and I've gotta say I love the positivity that you bring to my day to day with these videos and your stories and your personality, thank you so much!
Johnny, this story hit deep. I grew up with a lot of very similar friends. We all went down different paths in life. Your stories are not only nostalgic and heartwarming but they also inspire one to appreciate this passion we share. Gaming. It really did save many of us from going down the wrong path. Thank you for sharing your amazing story. Cheers!
Great video dude. I have had similar experiences, let’s just say for a chunk of my life my asshole level was somewhere between yours and your friend Jason’s. I battled addiction and came through it, I’m very fortunate in that regard. Anyway, thanks for the video. Your honest and personable demeanour is always inspiring and makes a true connection with your audience. Best channel on RU-vid
I wouldn't be able to tell from your videos. Hah! Thanks to you as well, my man. Great content these past years. HappyConsoleGamer freakin' rulez though. Heh.
To me it was not just friends, but the whole surrounding. The majority of people in my area end up uneducated, jobless, thugs and drogue addict. What saved me wasn't my hobbies, but rather my own weird body; fortunately I couldn't get into those substances because they had an opposite effect on me, they just make me sad, angry and I start seriously thinking about all my issues in life, it always drove me crazy, so I stopped.
That's so wild that you still see Jason regularly. Reminds me of some of my childhood best friend from high school who got lost in his own ways but fortunately I don't believe he ever became homeless or addicted to hard drugs. Hope to see him again someday. Thanks for your stories, Johnny!
I was a mellow kid with limited friend options, so I was often stuck hanging out with jerks. I wonder what causes some teenagers to become assholes. It seems common, but it isn't a universal teenager trait.
Speaking of stolen candy or sweets as we call them in the UK, when I was growing up a truck carrying sweets and fizzy juice that sort of thing crashed near my house, being the early 90s there was no mobile phone so when the driver left to call for help all the local kids robbed that truck blind, I'm not proud of it now but I'll never forget it.
I'm still 19 but a lot of my old group of friends have gotten addicted to debilitating lifestyles and its really sad. I pretty thankful though that I was able to get through those times and choices and at least make the decision to not do drugs. I see a lot of similarities between your childhood and mine it's really cool. Keep making videos about games and your life man keep it up!
I have been addicted to drugs on and off since I was 16. I am now 36. I find video games are one of the most therapeutic things to take my mind off of the cravings for drugs. Its also important to have people there to help you, when you are ready to quit. I have alot of respect for you being there for friends, when they are ready to quit. Its so important to them and can make all the difference.
Yeah man, I'm 27 now but about 10-13 years ago I slowly watched my friends get into hardcore drugs. I was a punk and so were my friends. I feel like they were heavily influenced by Darby Crash and Sid Vicious a little much in all honesty but anyway I had a couple friends named Cody and Rob who basically told me that since I wasn't "experimental" with different drugs like Heroin and Coke and that since I only stuck to getting drunk and dabbling with weed here and there that they weren't going to be my friend anymore. Cody used to hate that I loved Video Games so much because he was constantly looking for more drugs. Since then my buddy Rob has come off the drugs entirely and we are now Best friends who live together. I too had a friend who would steal shit loads of stuff, specifically Manga from a local bookstore. Admittedly I had him grab me some here and there but he took at least 10-15 books at a time, mostly for himself. I eventually backed away from all that lol. I felt terrible because I had a huge collection of them eventually and a lot were from there. Karma came though and one night it was raining and my parents basement flooded, which was also my room at the time, and it ended up destroying most of my collection. Weirdly, I felt relief seeing all those books finally destroyed because I couldn't bare to do the deed lol.
Man thank you for this video. A lot of my younger life was similar, and there were times when I was on a bad path. Sometimes I feel bad about how much I play video games now, but they replaced worse habits and addictions in the past. Hearing you talk about some similar issues reminds me that this hobby saved me in some ways and that I shouldn't feel bad about it.
Your a great guy ;). Your stories and experiences are treasures that I'm glad you take the time to share because I enjoy listening. Never Change Johnny!
Videogames does make you stay away from drugs.. Getting bored is one the thing that can make you a user, You will never get bored if you play videogames
We have all had moments we ain’t proud of mate. Anybody who says they ain’t is frankly delusional or a liar. It’s how you use them to take you forwards that matters. You radiate a lot of positivity in the way you address your viewers. I’d say that’s a fair sign of how far you’ve stepped. Nice that you felt you could share that with your audience. Takes guts to admit you wasn’t perfect. Keep on happy gaming😉
I know this is an older video, but wanted to say I can relate to many parts of your story, the real difference is I spent my childhood/teens in foster care and boys homes. I'm very lucky and blessed that I never got involved in any drugs, outside of minimal use of marijuana here and there, but even that wasn't anything I sought out. Your stories, memories and channel is fantastic, glad I found it.
You know what man? I appreciate this video. I really do. I could have gone down a horrible path, but by the grace of "whatever the hell" I turned out okay, and I am glad you did too. Keep it up Johnny, I really enjoy what you have to say, and I hope that as many of your friends as possible can turn out okay too. Keep being you bro, maybe some young gamers out there can watch this and learn to mellow out early. You never know :). Thanks dude.
Hi Johnnymillennium! Thank you for this video. It really got to me, I started to get into drugs at 14 years and ended up using heroine for 8 years, I'm 33 years old now and sorted out but on subuxone for little over 7 years and that works for me and became my salvation as well as picking up games again. As you can imagine I've also buried and lost a lot of good friends, it sucks. But life isn't easy many times. Take care pz.
VIDEO GAMES SAVED YOUR LIFE HAPPY GAMER...I HAD A FRIEND JUST LIKE THIS GUY!!!! MY 3 BEST FRIENDS!!! TURNED TO THE DARK SIDE!!!! VIDEO GAMES AND SPORTS KEPT ME AWAY FROM DRUGS!!! MY VERY BEST FRIEND TURNED TO DRUGS... AND OVERDOSED WHEN WAS 37.HE WAS MY BROTHER FROM ANOTHER MOTHER...
Ive lost about ten friends to heroin in last 5 years, i thank god everyday i nvr got into it just recently lost my 26 yr old nephew to it, but i love your channel bc your always positive and ver passionate about the things you talk about i love that keep up the great work johnjy
Great job in discussing difficult subjects without focusing on the negative or preaching at us! You came to terms with your past and tried to help others along the way, and that's all we can really ask of ourselves. You have a great outlet for spreading positivity here, and you're obviously putting it to use!
Really appreciate you sharing these stories. Hey who DOESN’T want to mercilessly beat and watch their friends fall now and then :) sorry to hear bout your lost friends. You give your viewers/listeners a lot of fuckin strength and thank you for being a decent person. Much love bro be well \m/
Thanks for sharing this video and talking about your experiences!! I’m a music teacher...and I’m still into video games. I could relate to my Students more whenever I talk about super smash bros. As a music teacher, I see 90 percent of the student body in my school (the only ones I don’t see are the kindergartens). But here’s the thing: almost ALL my students play video games and are heavily into pop culture such as Marvel comics or Anime. Here’s another fact: 75-80 percent of those kids who are into video games get it from their parents: you have NO idea how cool it is to meet gamer parents!! Greetings from Toronto, Canada! Keep doing what you’re doing!
Heroin is a black hole. All my friends who've gone there haven't returned. We all have sketchy pasts especially of that era. Punk was 'youth culture' back in the day. Thank goodness Grunge came along and took the edge off.
One time I found a credit card outside 11 back in grade 12 in 1992. I gave it to a buddy of mine, he went and bought 2 Super Nes systyems, one for each of us!
Congratz on gaming to live. Much better alternative. Your life stories are heartfelt and realistic, and I think that most of us are thankful for your honesty, and care. Gonna watch your cig smoking vid again. You really are a genuine postive force on this site.
Thanks for sharing! Can relate to some of your childhood stories. Hoping the best that the friend you spoke most about can get himself clean and stay clean!
its pretty amazing that you have become the person you have, and didn't go down the same road as a lot of your friends that became addicts. I know how hard it can be, I struggled with heroin addiction for many years and have come out of it on the other side of things. I have always been a gamer and always will be, we all have our demons, and it's who we are on the inside that truly matters. Loved your stories, thanks for sharing them
thank you for sharing your story! im so glad video games and movies helped save you from that life your school friends group went through. you definitely are a positive influence on youtube! i always feel great after watching your videos!
I'm sorry to hear about your friends, I had few people I knew in middle school travel down that route and never recover. I'm glad to see you turn out alright though man. Collecting video games is the good kind of drugs 👍.
I was the same way in the 90's. It's just boys being boys but in the end you have to know where and when the line is and some friends took a dive for the worse and some matured and made smart choices. But doing crazy shit while being a kid and fighting via couch co op is something I'll never forget and every kid needs that in his life at some point.
I am a 40 year old ex heroin addict. Video games, and AD&D helped me out. The first time I got clean in 99 (after using h since 97)was all good til our AD&D group broke up and I got back into smack because of a girl I was interested in. We got together and had fun times in Phillyland, but it doesn't last. Fast forward to 2004, after being stabbed 4 times in the chest from Puerto Rican gang member in North Philly to being stuck up by a guy with a tech 9, beat over the head with a lead pipe and 40oz bottle, to landing a month in jail, I had finally had enough, and being on probation got on methadone and got clean 15 years later I am married with 2 kids, own a home and have a crappy but good paying job and a fun dog. I love video games, they get me through. The problem I have is I had to give up my old friends, now I don't have many at all. And spend time with family and gaming. I would love to get back into pen and paper but don't know how to do it. BEING OFF h makes me more anti social, and being 40 well those people I w use to play with are dead, stopped playing, on drugs, or stuck up snobs. Thanks for this video. Found your channel from Dragon quest videos. Dw1 was my first console rpg on nes, back when it came out. Then I bought ff1. As far as ribbing your friends, that's what we did. It must be a generational thing, that rock and roll, metal, skateboarding, dirt bikes, partying, girls, video games and playing pranks. All in all though I think my gen x generation isn't as whiny though, you never see us no platforming people from debate and rioting in the street, like you see on videos from college campuses. We also weren't politically correct. My turbo graphix16 i leant to twins back in 91, they wound up moving, didn't tell anyone, and I lost it. We used to lend each other consoles all the time as kids, would never do that again. That didn't stop my genesis and nes, plus my dq 1-4 collection from being swooped from my apartment in 99... yeah looking back I probably would of sold them for small anyway after relapsing in 2001, as I had with my 70+games ps1 collection, magic cards from 1st-5th ed. And a stack of 100 worth of AD&D 1st - 3rd ed books. Damn, I still look back in disgust at myself, but I could be dead or in jail.... Got to take things in perspectice.
Vidro games saved me from bad influences too, many of the kids in my neighborhood got in to drugs and motorcycle gang, I hooked up playing Adventure Island 2 and Super Contra.
The grunge generation it was very much the same here in england so many lost it's very sad. videogames have always been there through hard and good times to keep us on a path somewhat.
In my 13-14years old... the period 1999-2000 the period of playing dreamcast and ps1 most of the time.... every weekend hang out with my friends and go to store buy 20-30 eggs... take a bus and start throw on people who pass by on street... and do the competition who was the winner by doing most headshot on the targets... and this stupit thing was happend over a year and not cought by policemen once...
I had some crazy, fun friends in my teen years & have VHS evidence of all the stuff we used to get up to! But I look back & think of them as good times. Life is full of experiences, I just won't be sharing all the extreme stories with my kids, but as long as you head down a positive path in life, be happy & do what you love, then a few crazy experiences are all part of that path.
Wow, I grew up in very similar circumstances, and like John, video games became my drug of choice. Here's to vidja games! *raises a glass of Mountain Dew*
Crazy how two people who know each other well go in such different directions in life, and you dont realize it untill you see them 30 years down the road.
As a man in my late 40s who still LOVES videogames, I really wish I had close friends like Jonny...the friends I had went on to do regular "adult" things in life, and have no interest in videogames anymore.. I could connect in so many ways with guys like Jonny..😔
This video cheered me up so much Johnny. I recently got into a fight with my friends cause said shit to 2 of my friends and I felt terrible for doing it. But after watching this video, I feel a little better about everything. Thank you Johnny, you've been a inspiration to me for a while.
Awesome story brother. Thanks for sharing...funny that I live aaaalllll the way south from you, in Pennsylvania, USA and have a very similar story to yours in video gaming and I know people that i grew up with are now strung out on hard drugs or locked away etc.
Ive been watching you for a While but Ive never subscriberd. But after this video i got allot of respect for you so your defenetly earned another subscriber!
I feel you man Ive seen a lot of good people lose themselves over drugs and its a tough thing to witness especially when you get out of it yourself. Video games were also my way of escaping that bullshit lifestyle and its nice to see other people who were able to. Big fan of the channel keep it up man
Dude, this video kind of struck a chord with me. I myself am a recovering heroin addict. I have lost countless friends over the years im only 30 years old btw. Ive been clean for 2 years now, and have dived headfirst into my love of video games. I particularly love nintendo, but i do play the rest of the consoles as well. I just wanted to let you know that this video hit home big time with me. Thank you for sharing your life experience with us, it very well could save someones life.
I went through a similar situation with my high school friends. Most of them took up drinking and drug use, but I had no interest. I stayed home and got immersed in my video games and anime, and over time, my friends and I slowly drifted apart. It sucks that I lost some really good friends, but I'm glad I didn't adopt that lifestyle. We've reconnected over Facebook within the last couple of years, but we live in different states now and I don't think things will ever be quite the same as they were, and that's okay. I've made new friends, and they enrich my life far more than I could ever hope for. Keep the videos coming, John. I love hearing your stories!
I was a very depressed child and teen, I didn't socialise with people all that often, still don't. Being bullied all the time for being different, quiet and poor was and still is seen as a crime by many. Many of the bullies couldn't stand the fact that I was a better gamer than them, that I could read complete books with ease when they could barely manage half a page. These days I keep to myself as much as possible, rarely interact with people and prefer to be alone. Over thirty years of being mistreated and hurt by so many insecure assholes hasn't exactly endeared me to people.
Sorry to hear you've had it so rough... it's honestly hard to relate even though I've had some tough times of my own. My one and only in the world suffered similarly though, and she still does. You probably don't need to hear it from me since you've got dis, but hang in there all the same!
Me and my best friend once stole a Daggerfall Demo CD from a magazine, he even brought a knife to cut the plastic of, it was crazy! We never get caught tought.
What a shame I hope he can get help soon in the future it must be really difficult. Good luck to him and at the end of the day it doesn't take a bad egg to get stuck in a position like that. Anyone can get caught in that trap if they arnt helped or know any better. Everyone can be a dick or bad somtimes but at the end of the day we all are people and deserve the same amount of respect. I'm 20 years old and worry about my current friends and the future they are going to get. Hopefully everything will turn out okay in the end :).
It's scary how much of your life story resembles my life, even though I'm from Belgium. Punk rock, skating, obsessed with video games, stealing, drugs, ... Especially the friends and drugs part was as if you were talking about my childhood. My best friends back then all dropped out of school due to drugs and are either barely making it today or fucked up for life. One of them is living in a tent, addicted to whatnot, thinking the world is flat and is baffled about how everybody is too fucking stupid for not seeing the obvious signs that aliens are ruling the world. At least you were able to save many of your friends.
