I too, tried using regex to strip html tags. This was in php with hardly any knowledge of oop.
A university education really improved me there, since they trained you in Java to a high degree within 20 weeks (alongside stuff like UML). PHP is a fine starter language, but as applications grow, a more native oop approach with build-time validation, really made me a better developer.
I was undersedated for that one too. Hurt like a mother, but I never realised I may be under sedated so I just challenged through.
No issues in the end though. Just a firm reminder to ask for a double dose next time.