LSD lessons and criminal misadventures

by Josh Mohland

narration

It was an early December afternoon when I awoke to the sound of confused girls screaming about an uninvited stranger in their house. My LSD-induced frenzy the night before had not only brought me to the garage I found myself waking up in, but earned me a visit from the police who escorted me to Humboldt County Jail and charged me with suspicion of burglary. After I had fully explained myself to several police officers, a nurse, my lawyer, and finally the judge, I was let off with a slew of fines and a 90-day jail sentence for being under the influence of acid. Because I was a student at the university, the judge postponed my commitment date until after the current semester ended. Seeing as I would only serve sixty days on my sentence, I spent the rest of my semester cursing those two months as a waste of my time. But much to my surprise, my outlook changed after I turned myself in.

For the first two weeks of my stay, I spent most of my time sleeping. I would leave my bed only to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. However, I soon grew weary of this cycle and began sleeping during the day and reading books from the jail library at night. The silence of the jail dormitory at night was eerily still, and allowed for both sober and clear thinking. The environment and the addition of a writing pad to my personal belongings brought forth nights full of introspective writing and contemplative thought.

Much of my writing focused around what happened in the last few years to land me in jail. In particular, I reflected upon my abundant use and sales of hallucinogenic drugs, rampant alcoholism, and medical marijuana use. As I reflected on all my experiences, the amount of time I had been wasting came to light. With such realization came feelings of guilt and an overwhelming depression that led to intense apathy and hatred towards my ill fortune.

I began to read a book one night that I had neglected for far too long -- The Bible. As I read through the New Testament, I came across passages that spoke to me so deeply they could have been preceded by my name. These passages I began to underline, and I found myself taking notes along with what I was studying. When I reached the book of 1 John, I came across a verse that told of the blood of Jesus being poured out to forgive us of our sins, and about if we confess our sins to Jesus, He will cleanse us. In the silence of the jail cell I did something that I had not done for almost a year -- pray. I spent almost an hour spilling my heart out to Jesus, begging Him for forgiveness. When I opened my eyes, I knew I had been forgiven.

When my release date arrived, I thought about how I would live once I returned to society. The decision for sobriety was one that I had been wrestling with daily, as I possessed a doctor's recommendation for medical marijuana. However, the clarity and insight into life I discovered during my two months' stay gave me an experiential alternative to the life I had been living. I ultimately chose to abandon my substance use and have been sober for six months. And for this reason, as well as the spiritual fringe benefits, I consider my jail time a blessing rather than a curse.