Hey Steemit! Thanks for the invitations, opportunities and sharing the love.
My name is Ping Wins, and here is my story...

![WIN_20170824_07_42_06_Pro.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmfRpnZoA3S6hK28s7qvMcCCHUodAubgXwNbhJLn9oXyFX/WIN_20170824_07_42_06_Pro.jpg)

I grew up in the United States, and when I became a teenager, I became involved in taking drugs and using alcohol as a form of recreation. This was a very bad idea! I found out the hard way that quitting these things was a lot harder than picking them up. Around this time, I also started smoking cigarettes. You could say that I was on a path of destruction, heading for my own certain death.

Fast forward ten years, and I was now an adult, still using drugs, alcohol and cigarettes as much as possible. My health began to suffer after this prolonged use.

A day came when I decided that if I didn't make a change, I was going to die, and I was not ready for that. I made the decision in a single day to clean myself up, and start living a better life.

Easier said than done.

After five more years of trying to quit all these things, I discovered the saving grace that ultimately led to my recovery from all these addictions. Want to know what it was?

Meditation.

That's right. I did it all with the power of my mind. I picked up the discipline while living in Portland Oregon, after reading about it in a book I found at Powell's City of Books.

I learned to clear my mind, and to focus my will and thoughts on a single purpose. My goal was to lead a life free of deadly addictions, and I meditated on this daily. Something wonderful began to happen.

My cravings for drugs, alcohol and cigarettes began to fade slowly, until they ultimately tapered off completely. I quit the drugs first, then a few months later, my drinking was done. The cigarettes took another couple of years, but I kept up with my discipline, and now I am not only drug and alcohol free, I am once again a non-smoker. 

I owe it all to the power of the mind, and to the wise ones who came before me and discovered this power, and had the forethought to write it down for people in the future like me who would need it to literally save their lives. 

Now, I am a father of 4, happily married, and I have written several books, support my family, and have no fears of ever relapsing into a life of poison. I am so glad that I discovered meditation. It literally saved my life.

Thank you for accepting me into this community, where I can further my exploration of the Universe and Consciousness.

Cari Saluti! Love,
Ping Wins