A Holiday Season Worth Celebrating Thanks to Narconon

Mother and Children
Photo by Choreograph/iStockphoto.com
 

Before my addiction, the holidays for me and my family were always great. My family always made sure we always spent time together and even if we could not afford presents, we had each other. Holidays are important to me and my family. I remember the first Thanksgiving at my parents when I was high on opioids, it was a disaster.

I arrived at my parents that morning to help prepare the food, but it did not go as planned. I went into my mom’s bathroom and crushed a pill and snorted it. I got extremely sick and threw up once I went back into the kitchen. My mom freaked out and kicked me out. I felt humiliated and ashamed of myself but continued to only care about one thing, getting high. Christmas rolled around and I was not invited to the family dinner. My drug addiction continued to get worse as the years went by. Holidays became something I hated when it used to be something I loved. I could not afford gifts for my family or my children. There were times where I would try and steal gifts for my kids, so they had something from their mom. Birthdays were also something I dreaded. I could never afford much for anyone because I could never keep a job long enough due to my addiction. I could not give my kids the memories they should have gotten because I was high. My kids went to my parents on the holidays while I spent it alone in random motel rooms getting high.

Eventually I began not caring about missing out on anything that once meant the world to me. I remember my oldest daughter crying on the phone, begging me to be there to see her open her presents, but due to my being high I was not allowed at my mom’s. I became absent for birthdays, family gatherings, cookouts, and holidays. I became absent from life itself. I could barely remember what day it was, let alone the dates for family birthdays. What felt like hours turned into days in a blur, what felt like days turned into weeks gone by.

With so much time wasted getting high that I can never get back, maybe you can imagine what it feels like now knowing I can be there after doing this program. The holidays are now something I look forward to again. I am excited about Christmas this year and to experience it sober. The Narconon Suncoast program has restored true happiness in my life. This Christmas would have been spent alone, getting high or trying to get high, but instead will be spent sober and happy.

I cannot express enough how happy I am to be spending this coming up holiday and every future holiday free from the hell I had created for me and my family. My mom told me that she feels like she now has her daughter back and this was the best gift I could have ever given her for Christmas. The relationship I have with my family now is beyond great compared to a year ago, I am now thrilled and excited for the holidays once again.

What Narconon Suncoast has given me and my family is the chance to be happy for every future event, for every holiday moving forward. I cannot put into words how grateful I am to have this joy back. I look forward to being able to give my children the life they deserve and need. Thank you Narconon for giving me my life back and a great future for me and my kids.

By Ashlie S.-Narconon Suncoast Graduate    

AUTHOR

Justin

Justin has been working in the field of addiction and recovery for over 1 year. Justin earned his Bachelors's Degree in Finance from Florida State University. Having been an addict himself, he brings real-world experience to the table when helping addicts and their families, while also offering a first-person perspective to the current drug crisis. Justin is passionate about educating the public about what’s currently going on in our society, and thankfully, offers practical solutions.

NARCONON SUNCOAST

DRUG EDUCATION AND REHABILITATION