5 Years Sober and Counting

 

Drugs ruined my entire life. They ruined everything I had going for me. They destroyed every relationship I had. I stopped showing up to family gatherings. I became isolated, lonely and sad.

Before this, I had a pretty normal life growing up in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. I played sports, went on family outings and was always outdoors.

When I was 14 years old, I started using drugs and alcohol consistently. I was smoking weed, binge drinking on the weekends and I started using pills.

This is the story of how I came to Narconon. I was living in Arizona and had been struggling with addiction for 6 or 7 years, with only small moments of sobriety. I had been to 2 rehabs and relapsed and was trying to figure out how to get into detox. My mom Googled natural and alternative rehabs and we found Narconon. At that point, I thought, “What do we have to lose?” and so I came.

One day while I was at Narconon, I took a deep breath, felt my lungs expand, and felt like I could breathe for the first time. I started the detox and could finally sleep through the night.

One of my biggest wins was one day looking at my reflection in the window and for the first time, I saw myself and didn’t hate myself anymore. I felt confident I could beat this.

I felt my brain power coming back. Before, I was like a zombie. But I started to feel like I could process things again and not be so erratic.

It was awesome when I graduated. Crowds usually make me nervous, but my family came and I gave my speech and I felt so proud.

“My proudest accomplishment is now being over 5 years sober. I didn’t even think I would be alive. I love being an aunt. It is the biggest blessing in my entire life, and my relationship with my family now is really good.”

My proudest accomplishment is now being over five years sober. I didn't even think I would be alive. I love being an aunt. It is the biggest blessing in my entire life, and my relationship with my family now is really good. I never used to tell them how I feel. Now, I go to every event and we are stronger than ever. I’m not scared to meet new people anymore.

What I love about being drug free now is being able to pick up and travel wherever I want. Before, I couldn’t do that. I didn’t feel like I had enough drugs with me. I needed heroin, or I’d be dope sick.

The advice I would give to anyone in a similar situation is don’t give up. Find something worth fighting for. It seems dark in the moment and like you can never crawl out of the pit. But once you are out, it is one of the most beautiful things you will ever see.

If you’re in early recovery, listen and take time for yourself. Slow down and enjoy your surroundings

—Emily, Narconon Suncoast Graduate