Living Car Free - 5 years car free, some regret, but all for the best

I have been car free for 5 years. By choice? No. DWI when I was 18 was one motivator. Another DWI when I was 19 was a second motivator. Since then things have been all up hill. Those DWI's not only forced me to think about my life and grow out of my immaturity very quickly but they put me on a bike. Which got me out of drugs/alcohol (not that blasted 12 step program). To work and to school. Started on a Trek hybrid I bought from a pawn shop for $80. A few years later I got on a Motobecane messenger fixed gear. Now I have a piece of cycling history with a 70s Colnago with full Durace. Cycling has been an instrumental part of growing up for me and putting my life back together. When its freezing rain outside and people don't show up to class because they don't want to get in the weather for 15 minutes to drive to class, I'm on a bike riding 3.5 miles each way at 8am. Then I work as a bicycle delivery guy at a little burger shop across the street from campus. Make less than minimum wage some days but its worth it for those nice spring days like today. I managed to pull my .9 GPA up to a 2.93, and have job offers with pay ranging from 45-55K. Not that its all about the money, but it will be nice not being poor. My girlfriend asks why I must spend so much of my money on my bike and I can only reply because its better than buying crack. A joke to her, reality to me.

Cycling has been a detrimental part of growing up for me and putting my life back together.

I think you mean instrumental... or maybe not.

ya nice catch, im on 0 sleep for 36 hours. Lol kind of opposite meaning.

This is a good story.

Too many people in the OP's situation would have continued driving until they hurt or killed someone or even themselves. It's good to see he broke free from drugs. That's the hardest one of em all.

Too many good carfree stories on this forum and they keep rolling one after another.

I have been car free for 5 years. By choice? No. DWI when I was 18 was one motivator. Another DWI when I was 19 was a second motivator. Since then things have been all up hill. Those DWI's not only forced me to think about my life and grow out of my immaturity very quickly but they put me on a bike. Which got me out of drugs/alcohol (not that blasted 12 step program). To work and to school. Started on a Trek hybrid I bought from a pawn shop for $80. A few years later I got on a Motobecane messenger fixed gear. Now I have a piece of cycling history with a 70s Colnago with full Durace. Cycling has been an instrumental part of growing up for me and putting my life back together. When its freezing rain outside and people don't show up to class because they don't want to get in the weather for 15 minutes to drive to class, I'm on a bike riding 3.5 miles each way at 8am. Then I work as a bicycle delivery guy at a little burger shop across the street from campus. Make less than minimum wage some days but its worth it for those nice spring days like today. I managed to pull my .9 GPA up to a 2.93, and have job offers with pay ranging from 45-55K. Not that its all about the money, but it will be nice not being poor. My girlfriend asks why I must spend so much of my money on my bike and I can only reply because its better than buying crack. A joke to her, reality to me.

Ask how much she thinks it would cost to keep a car around...:innocent:

Aaron:)

Good on you for finding a path that works for you.

:thumb: Way to go, good for you!

Now land one of those jobs, keep ridin car-free :commute: (if you can) and stack that paper :D (save your money lol)! Besides, CRACK IS WHACK! :p

Cheers,

Thanks for the motivation guys. Sharing this story here was more for bragging because I am proud of myself. But I really need to find an outlet which this can help people in a similar predicament.

A wonderful story, very inspirational. Thanks for sharing it! :)