I Was Truly Hopeless…
“Who am I” is a question I always knew the answer to. Growing up, I was overall, a happy, energetic, bubbly, and outspoken child. I had goals set for myself at a pretty early age. After my high school graduation, I decided that I was going to take a year off and start college the following year. During that year, my addiction took off. I began to face many adult-life struggles. I felt as if the world had turned against me, so I turned against myself. I began to go out with friends to parties, drinking and doing drugs. This helped to ease the troubles for the moment. All of my troubles began to fade away, so I thought, and I became more and more careless.
I used drugs, specifically Meth, to suppress the realization of who I was becoming. Before I knew it, my life started a dramatic downhill spiral. Everything was beyond my control. I lost hope. That’s when my Meth addiction went into full effect. Drugs made me feel as if my life wasn’t so bad, even though most of my problems came from drugs. I was digging myself a deeper hole of financial problems, family problems, and even more and more problems within myself. I no longer knew who I was. I was lost. Before I realized it, an entire year slipped by with no accomplishment… just disappointments. I thought there was no hope left for me. I wanted more for myself; I knew I could do great things even though drugs caused me to think that all I’d ever be was an addict.
I tried multiple times to get clean on my own. Eventually, I had to face the fact that I couldn’t do it alone. Being an addict who was trying to get clean and stay sober is something I never thought I’d have to struggle with. I began looking at different rehab programs. I found many 12-step programs, but I knew I needed help with more than just my Meth addiction. I was broken down in all areas of my life and within myself. One day, while scrolling through my Facebook Newsfeed, a link to a place called Narconon Suncoast popped up with the link to a success story from someone who had done the program. It was truly inspiring and gave me a sense of relief, even though I had no clue who this girl in the success story was. She looked genuinely happy and her story was beyond anything I have ever read. She gave me hope. I researched Narconon Suncoast and found more inspiring success stories. After browsing the website, I could tell this place was different and not like other traditional rehabs. After telling my family that I wanted to get help, I showed them the website and their faces lit up with an overwhelming look of relief. We got in contact with the facility and three days later, I was on a plane heading to Clearwater, FL.
This was it, the break I had been praying for, for so long. Arriving in Tampa, I was extremely nervous and anxious. One of the staff members met me at the gate. Immediately after seeing her smiling face, I was able to relax. It was about a 20-minute drive from the airport to the center and I never once felt awkward or judged. The staff member and I talked like we had known each other for years. The staff and students here were so welcoming… my journey to a new life had begun. I spent 8 days coming off Meth. My energy was depleted tremendously from using for an entire year straight. I had no appetite and all I wanted to do was sleep. Every day, I was given vitamins to help replenish my system of all the nutrients I was lacking. I was also given 3 nutritious meals a day along with protein shakes to feed my body since I hadn’t really eaten in a long time. The staff helped me with all the physical pain and emotional pain that I was going through and got me through it. They helped me to be as comfortable as possible. On my 8th day, I felt 100 times better. I was starting to get my energy back.
The next part of the program was the Sauna Detox. This step was vital to my recovery. I was given the opportunity to sweat out all the drugs I had ever taken. I was closely supervised by a nurse and a highly-trained staff member. After completing the Sauna Detox, I feel like a brand new person. My body is clean from all the toxins I had put into it and I feel better than I ever have before. My cravings for Meth are completely gone and I have real energy again. The comparison to how I feel now versus when I first got here is beyond dramatic. I feel like I have started from scratch and I can rebuild myself and become the person I was destined to be.
M.R. – Narconon Suncoast Student
