Thanks for both of your comments. In answer to my age, I'm forty nine, so this would have taken place, or started to in 1974. Our parents had always been friends, and though we had our normal childhood spats, they never lasted for more than a couple hours. My friend came from a Catholic family, ours was protestant, but that never bothered either one of us.

I do remember him telling me sometime in middle school during one of a few chance meetings, that he was drinking cough syrup for the high. I didn't think anything at the time about it, and it seemed an off hand comment.

The last I heard, he was married with two children. He was pretty clear in his letter that he didn't want any contact between us, so I just don't know. Maybe he thought I should have been there for him when he was in crisis. Had I known, i would have been, but we had been astranged for years by then. Whether or not it bothers him now, I'll never know. As much as I'd like to stay in contact, when someone tells you to stay away, you have to respect that. Can people outgrow bipolar disorder, or is it for life?

Sam2