D+401 Mind catching up with reality

[–]Mateo4183 778 points 8 hours ago*I spent just shy of two years in prison for drugs. Lots of drugs. When I got out, my wife picked me up, and I spent twenty minutes trying to figure out how to use her iPod nano with the touch screen. Got motion sick for the first time ever. Went to our new house my wife bought right before I got out because the apartment complex she was living in wouldn't allow me to reside there due to the felonies. Took a long shower and put on real clothes. Went to a barbecue and saw almost everyone who means anything to me. Sat stonefaced through the whole thing because I was overwhelmed and had learned not to show anything. Gorged myself on the best homemade ribs and sides I've ever had. Went home and hung out. Used the remote control to watch whatever I wanted. Had sex with my wife. (A while later) Cried for an hour or so (it was just an emotional release at the end of the day when my mind finally caught up with reality). Slept like a baby in our sweet, sweet bed.

[–]Dmalf 2510 points 11 hours ago*x2I haven't gone to jail, but I have gone to a mental hospital. They kept everything locked up, served horrible meals, and we were kept in cells. So, kind of like a jail/prison.
The first thing that I did when I got out from my stay, was sit down in my room, and bawl my eyes out. I had been away from my family, and I was sure that they hated me for trying to kill myself. My little brother wouldn't talk to me, and my parents punished me. My older brother and my friends are what saved me, really. I cried and cried. My older brother came and checked up on me, and found me like that. He carried my 13 year old self down to his car, and drive me to our favorite restaurant, and Italian place named Al Dente. We sat down, and just looked at each other. That's when he just broke down. He said that he still loved me, and that no matter what our family thinks, he will always be there for me. I went home from there a changed man. Well, boy, but that's beside the point.

[–]ununpentium89 214 points 10 hours ago
I didn't go to prison. I was sectioned for 6 months in a medium secure psychiatric hospital.
It meant that I was kept against my will in the hospital for treatment. The walls were very high and topped with razor wire. There was an air lock style entry system to the hospital. Patients were searched upon entrance to the hospital, and their belongings searched for contraband/banned items. Patients were not allowed out of the hospital except when the psychiatrist had specified according to their leave status- often they had to be accompanied by nurses.
Anyway. When I was released I spent the next few days basking in the luxury of being able to eat when I wanted, go to bed when I wanted, go to the toilet without asking and going outside when I wanted.
Then I developed crippling anxiety and agoraphobia due to the lack of structure and the shock of being discharged so suddenly with no step down.

 [–]Scratcher09 92 points 4 hours ago*In response to /u/smzayne 's comment (I'm his Dad), I thought I'd create an acct to share my experience. After 15 years I got out on a Friday. Stepping outside was surreal. I could not believe I was out. All these ideas I had about how it was going to be went out the window. As I was walking around I felt like I did not belong out there. I had to ask someone how to make a phone call at a pay phone to call my family to pick me up. And getting in the car was kind of scary--it felt like we were going way too fast. Stopped at Cracker Barrel to eat and being in a crowd really gave me a lot of anxiety. I had no appetite for a few weeks but soon realized I was enjoying tasting good foods again. I didn't want to be out so went to my parents' home and kinda soaked in all the changes. I had never seen the internet, never texted (couldn't understand why two people with phones in their hands wouldn't just talk to each other instead!), didn't know how to pay at gas pump or self check out, never seen DVD's, GPS, MP3's, iAnything, etc. But more than the changes in technology, it was all the experiences I had missed out on that haunted me. Thought I was gonna be dying to get laid but truth is I got into a relationship right away and didn't have sex for several months! Another thing that was odd is that I didn't sleep for ten days! I was not at all tired. People were worried but I felt great. After ten days I started taking naps here and there (could only sleep on floor even though I had a bed). Took me a couple months to sleep normally. I remember being very weirded out in public crowded places--especially where people might touch me (like in line at a grocery store). After fifteen years, your mind can't just snap out of it and get back to life out here. It's like a fish out of water kind of feeling. I spent almost all my adult life in prison and that doesn't go away overnight.