I turned 18 and got a tattoo as soon as I could. It’s the date the person who saved my life passed away. He was the sweetest person. When I met him, my life motto was “I live to die,” which was my justification to substance abuse and sleep around. I thought I wasn’t going to survive, because if I did, I was likely to harm myself. After seeing him and how much he loved everything, I slowly turned my life around. The quote is from Dine Dine My Darling by Alkaline Trio. Every time I listen to that song I’m near tears. The song is romantic but the quote describes how he helped me. I wouldn’t be clean, or have removed the people influencing me. He helped me. And I wish I had told him.