Ben Owen

Because my parents were very, what's the word I'm looking for? Strict. Very strict, straight and narrow kind of people, you know, like never done drugs, none of that. And so they flipped the absolute hell out and sent me to rehab for weed when I'm 14 years old. Well, I get in there. And they make me talk to a psychiatrist. And I realized, like, I can just get dope in here.

Because my parents were very, what's the word I'm looking for? Strict. Very strict, straight and narrow kind of people, you know, like never done drugs, none of that. And so they flipped the absolute hell out and sent me to rehab for weed when I'm 14 years old. Well, I get in there. And they make me talk to a psychiatrist. And I realized, like, I can just get dope in here.

Because I wanted to change the way I felt. That was the crux of everything. I did not like the way I felt. And I wanted to do anything I could to change it. I'd been drinking extremely heavily. I'd been caught stealing alcohol. I was taking open containers of alcohol to school, to high school, ninth grade with me. And the teachers there wouldn't do shit. They were afraid of the students.

Because I wanted to change the way I felt. That was the crux of everything. I did not like the way I felt. And I wanted to do anything I could to change it. I'd been drinking extremely heavily. I'd been caught stealing alcohol. I was taking open containers of alcohol to school, to high school, ninth grade with me. And the teachers there wouldn't do shit. They were afraid of the students.

Because I wanted to change the way I felt. That was the crux of everything. I did not like the way I felt. And I wanted to do anything I could to change it. I'd been drinking extremely heavily. I'd been caught stealing alcohol. I was taking open containers of alcohol to school, to high school, ninth grade with me. And the teachers there wouldn't do shit. They were afraid of the students.

Like, it was, the students literally ran that school. So I started talking to the psychiatrist at this rehab place. And remember, I was a nerd. I'd read the DSM. It was the DSM-IV back then, front to back. I don't even know how many times. What's that? I think it stands for Diagnostics and Statistics Manual.

Like, it was, the students literally ran that school. So I started talking to the psychiatrist at this rehab place. And remember, I was a nerd. I'd read the DSM. It was the DSM-IV back then, front to back. I don't even know how many times. What's that? I think it stands for Diagnostics and Statistics Manual.

Like, it was, the students literally ran that school. So I started talking to the psychiatrist at this rehab place. And remember, I was a nerd. I'd read the DSM. It was the DSM-IV back then, front to back. I don't even know how many times. What's that? I think it stands for Diagnostics and Statistics Manual.

It tells doctors how to diagnose diseases, including mental health, or particularly mental health. You read that at what age? I think the first time I heard it, I was 12. Whenever the DSM-IV came out, I was reading it. Because... I wanted to impress my dad. My whole life was spent trying to become my dad or to please him or make him happy. And this is not any fault of his.

It tells doctors how to diagnose diseases, including mental health, or particularly mental health. You read that at what age? I think the first time I heard it, I was 12. Whenever the DSM-IV came out, I was reading it. Because... I wanted to impress my dad. My whole life was spent trying to become my dad or to please him or make him happy. And this is not any fault of his.

It tells doctors how to diagnose diseases, including mental health, or particularly mental health. You read that at what age? I think the first time I heard it, I was 12. Whenever the DSM-IV came out, I was reading it. Because... I wanted to impress my dad. My whole life was spent trying to become my dad or to please him or make him happy. And this is not any fault of his.

He was not an overbearing father. I had perfect parents growing up. This was just internalized in my mind that... My life only had validity if my dad was proud of me, which he always was. So I started reading the DSM-IV because he was selling to doctors. I think he was a regional manager with Pfizer by this point in time.

He was not an overbearing father. I had perfect parents growing up. This was just internalized in my mind that... My life only had validity if my dad was proud of me, which he always was. So I started reading the DSM-IV because he was selling to doctors. I think he was a regional manager with Pfizer by this point in time.

He was not an overbearing father. I had perfect parents growing up. This was just internalized in my mind that... My life only had validity if my dad was proud of me, which he always was. So I started reading the DSM-IV because he was selling to doctors. I think he was a regional manager with Pfizer by this point in time.

And he had a tremendous level of respect for docs, and so I wanted to become a doctor. And so I'd read this thing front to back, memorized the whole damn thing. I'm going to caveat this. I've killed a lot of brain cells since then. I'm not that smart anymore, but I used to be. I had near photographic memory. Remember I told you I got weaponized ADHD. That is real.

And he had a tremendous level of respect for docs, and so I wanted to become a doctor. And so I'd read this thing front to back, memorized the whole damn thing. I'm going to caveat this. I've killed a lot of brain cells since then. I'm not that smart anymore, but I used to be. I had near photographic memory. Remember I told you I got weaponized ADHD. That is real.

And he had a tremendous level of respect for docs, and so I wanted to become a doctor. And so I'd read this thing front to back, memorized the whole damn thing. I'm going to caveat this. I've killed a lot of brain cells since then. I'm not that smart anymore, but I used to be. I had near photographic memory. Remember I told you I got weaponized ADHD. That is real.

I go to the psychiatrist and I present myself as a textbook case of somebody with bipolar disorder. I'm not bipolar, but they went ahead and diagnosed me. They did diagnose the ADHD, which is real, and they put me on Ritalin. And since I had read this manual and knew the things to say, I went back and kept going back to this doc at the rehab facility.

I go to the psychiatrist and I present myself as a textbook case of somebody with bipolar disorder. I'm not bipolar, but they went ahead and diagnosed me. They did diagnose the ADHD, which is real, and they put me on Ritalin. And since I had read this manual and knew the things to say, I went back and kept going back to this doc at the rehab facility.

I go to the psychiatrist and I present myself as a textbook case of somebody with bipolar disorder. I'm not bipolar, but they went ahead and diagnosed me. They did diagnose the ADHD, which is real, and they put me on Ritalin. And since I had read this manual and knew the things to say, I went back and kept going back to this doc at the rehab facility.