I’m Finally Happy to Be Me

One of the most important parts of the Narconon program are the Life Skills courses. These courses are able to put the pieces of an addict’s life back together and allow them to deal with the real reasons why they used drugs in the first place. Through these Life Skills courses at Narconon Suncoast, our students are able to finally deal with their true, core issues that drove their addiction. An addict can have many realizations about their lives while on the program.

The following was written by one of our current students:

Narconon Suncoast Graduate

At a young age, I knew my personality was different. I was really hyper, as they would say, back then. I was put on ADHD meds at 5 years old and was really skinny and a lot different than the other kids. My views and words were always ‘out there’ and on different levels than everyone else. In grade school, which was a Catholic school, I was teased a lot for having big, poofy hair, big teeth, skinny body and a hyper personality.

After 7th grade, all my fellow classmates were going to a Catholic high school and I chose to go to a public school because the kids were so mean at the Catholic school. When I first got to public school, I kinda grew into my body and started straightening my hair and wearing makeup like every normal pre-teen girl. I was well liked and my personality was more accepted and respected by those kids. I started doing beauty pageants and was really successful at them.

I soon developed a well-known eating disorder in the pageant world, Bulimia, which I have struggled with off and on for 14 years. This was the beginning of my addictive ways. In public school, even though I was more accepted for my looks and personality, I was soon introduced to marijuana and it was in that first time getting high that I felt a feeling of acceptance for myself and by everyone else. I fell in love with the people who rebelled and were ‘black sheeps’ of their families.

I had believed I was a ‘black sheep’ since I was told that in my younger years.

I finally felt like I belonged in a section of the world, surrounded by people who I thought liked me for myself, when in reality, it turned me from being a funny, good, a little ‘out there,’ and respectful kid into a rebellious, black sheep, drug-using teenager and, later in life, an adult with no respect for men, family, myself or anyone. I thought I was a ‘black sheep’ from a young age because I was different and I acted out in ways to convince myself that I wasn’t worthy of having a good life. Instead of making good decisions for myself, I settled for a dark, chaotic, confused, false reality.

I’m tired of hiding myself. If I’m weird or different than others, I embrace it and love who I am. What is normal, anyways? Like one of my friends once said ‘normal is just a setting on a washer.’ I am who I am and I will no longer rebel to get attention or consider myself a black sheep. I am me. And I’m finally happy with that.

A.S. – Narconon Suncoast Student

AUTHOR

Jason Good

Jason has been working in the field of addiction and recovery for over 11 years. Having been an addict himself he brings real-word experience to the table when helping addicts and their families, while also offering a first-person perspective to the current drug crisis. Jason is passionate about educating the public about what’s currently going on in our society, and thankfully, offers practical solutions. Jason is also the co-host of The Addiction Podcast—Point of No Return. You can follow Jason on Google+, Twitter, or connect with him on LinkedIn.

NARCONON SUNCOAST

DRUG EDUCATION AND REHABILITATION