MANIC SIGN #1: Spending Spree

So it’s time for me to explain the other side of the story. When doing this I’m going to be brutally honest with you. I’m sorry that I made these mistakes in my life. Just understand that to find success you must 1st fail. Also understand that this was all because of a mental health issue and it was kind of out of my control. I have my life under control these days and I am drug and alcohol free. When looking into bipolar disorder I want to 1st explain a sign of a manic episode which is going on a spending spree.

I’ve always lived thinking for certain that I would be a millionaire one day. With that in mind I racked up tens of thousands of dollars in loans and in credit card debt because I was certain that I would be able to pay it off one day. Over the course of my college career I racked up $25,000 in student loans. This may not sound crazy but it is because I had a full scholarship to Ohio State. Because my tuition was paid for my dad paid for my rent all through college. Then on top of that I took out about $2,000 in student loans each quarter just to get by. Getting by meant spending my money on throwing elaborate parties, gas for water skiing, marijuana, and of course I went out to eat for just about every meal. I never understood the phrase eating like a college student. I ate great on my student loans. 🙂 Luckily for me I recently found out that because of my disability I can get out of paying for my student loans. There are some perks to being disabled.

I always had problems budgeting my money all through college. But my spending was never more out-of-control than when I experienced my 1st manic episode back in 2008. The spending spree started towards the end of the summer. It started with me applying for credit cards. I basically applied for every piece of junk mail credit card application that came in the mail. I think that my credit report said that over the course of a few months I applied for between 30 to 40 credit cards and loans. Luckily for me I was denied for most of them but I had a large enough credit line to do some damage.

Remember that part of a manic episode can be increased drug use. During this time I unfortunately was in a relationship with marijuana. I took out a cash advance through a credit card so that I could buy a pound of marijuana. I then had someone sell it for me so that I could make some money. I then used a credit card to buy $600 worth of hydroponic equipment so that I could grow marijuana in my closet. The fact that I had someone selling it for me and that I was growing it gave me a false promise that soon I would have a ton of money. So because of this false hope I started spending like I was made of money.

I started to swipe away and rack up credit card bills. Soon I started to think bigger and I went after a new car. I found a 2004 Laguna Blue BMW M3 convertible for $30,000 that was down in Dayton, Ohio. I called the guy and arranged a test drive for that same night. The guy gave me a ride around Dayton and as soon as I got out of the car I called the bank to apply for a $30,000 loan with no money down. Thank God that I got denied. But that did not stop me. In that same week I applied for a loan for an older Range Rover and then a brand-new Honda S2000.

Soon I realized that I had to think smaller. My friend told me that I should check out a Segway. I rode down to the Segway store in the Short North with some of my friends from the Sphinx Senior Class Honorary who were just getting to know me. I went inside the store and asked the man to ride one of these crazy contraptions. Within 5 minutes I found myself applying for a $5,000 loan from the Segway store. I got denied but did not stop there. I drove down to 5/3 Bank and proceeded to apply for another $5,000 loan. The lady did not even know what a Segway was so I explained it and she asked if it was kind of like a motorcycle. I said kind of and soon enough I got approved for a $5,000 loan. 

I got back into my car with my friends from Sphinx with $5,000 in my hand. They must’ve thought that I was absolutely crazy but yeah, I was. I went back to the Segway store and gave him the cash and went home with my brand-new Segway. I spent the next couple weeks just getting high and cruising around Columbus on my Segway. I let everyone ride that thing. During waterski parties I would sit out front and people would be lined up down 15th Ave. and they would pay me to ride it around for a little bit. I even tried renting it out to a student organization but it came back in pretty awful condition so I never did that again.

I really started to rack up the credit card bills when I decided to take an impulse trip to California. The trip to California was absolutely ridiculous and I explain it in my book. Anyways, I used credit cards and cash advances so that I could buy marijuana and pay for Greyhound bus trips to get around California. When I was in San Francisco my friend give me a call from Hollywood who was staying in a $30 million mansion for the week in the Hollywood Hills. He asked me if I wanted to fly down to Hollywood and stay with them for the week so of course I bought the ticket and flew down there.

The house was absolutely incredible and the man that repainted the Vatican had gone into the house for 2 months and painted murals all over the walls and ceilings. Staying here for the week just made me spend more money. While I was there I went to the Apple Store and saw a MacBook Air for the 1st time. That night I ordered one online and threw in an iPod Touch just because I had not reached my credit limit yet. I spent a ton of money on clothes so that I could fit in with the trendy Los Angeles people which proved unsuccessful. I bought Bose headphones and even a $300 Roor bong. This ended up being a complete waste of money as it was confiscated during shipping.

When I got back from my trip from California I spent my days riding my Segway around rather than going to class. This is another story that I will tell later or you may have to wait for the book. Anyways, I spent a lot of money on drugs and other frivolous things. Over the course of 2 months I had spent over $14,000 all on credit and through loans. Everything I purchased was an impulse buy. I would see a commercial for Taco Bell and I wanted to go to Taco Bell. I would see a commercial for Arby’s and soon enough I was on my way to Arby’s. I was impulsive as impulsive could get. These are all characteristics of a manic episode. This was just one way that bipolar disorder has affected me.