James Garside felt he was half dead. “I had overdosed on heroin and meth and alcohol,” Garside said. “I was in a diabetic coma for four days and when I woke up, I was tied down in ICU.”
Post-hospital stay, the first thing Garside reached for was drugs and alcohol.
It was in that moment he realized he had a problem. Garside grew up in the San Gabriel Valley, self-described as “feminine,” and often subjected to bullying. The South El Monte High School graduate became detached as a result, turning to alcohol and drugs for comfort. After realizing his problem, Garside began a life of sobriety, which continues more than three years later. He enrolled at SMC in 2005, taking courses in philosophy, hoping to do his parents proud.
With a degree in philosophy, Garside plans to transfer to University of California at Berkeley in the fall, aspiring to teach the subject at the university level some day.
“It means a lot to me because I’m finally able to show something to my parents, that I’ve accomplished something in my 30 years of existence,” Garside said. “Before it was a lot of heartache for them.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 10, 2008. Read the original PDF.