A Life Once Robbed by Drug Addiction, Now Freed to Start Living Again

Narconon Suncoast Graduate

Before I started using drugs, I was a kid with many hobbies. I liked to swim, play sports, and had a love for film and media. I was very passionate about what I did. My relationship with my family was always good. Growing up I never seemed to have any problems, until drugs hit. I never knew what I could potentially be losing until I lost it. I started experimenting around eleven or twelve and from there it just got worse and worse. Every aspect of my life started going downhill. Slowly drugs started to become my main priority and my hobbies started to fade away. Then it fully took over.

No longer did I play sports or have any interest in school. I became alienated from my family, left school, and turned to drugs full time. As I graduated into harder drugs, my mental and physical health started to decline rapidly. I lost weight, I looked dull, and my voice was monotonous. My family did not know what to do with me anymore. They had tried everything. Twelve-step based programs, wilderness therapy and more, but nothing worked. My mother was looking for an answer, but we thought we had tried everything. My body could not take anymore. I needed help.

“My mother was researching on whato do with me when she found Narconon. I decided it was time to change…”

My mother was researching on what to do with me when she found Narconon. I decided it was time to change. When we left for Narconon, I was in bad shape. I was sick and did not think anything was going to get better for me. When we arrived to Narconon I was greeted by the staff and they were very friendly. They reassured me that I was in a good place to get the help that I needed and told me about their program. It was different than what I had done before and was exactly what I needed to hear. I did not want to see myself as an addict for the rest of my life and here I did not have to. I wanted to stay. I needed to get past this issue in my life and I knew everyone at Narconon was there to help me get there.

As I went on with my program the changes were incredible. I slowly started to feel better, getting the drugs and toxins out of my body. Finally, I started to sleep better, eat better, feel better and overall, my physical health was coming back to me. Then my whole perceptions on drugs changed. I realized it was my choice, the damage I was doing didn’t have to continue. I could see drugs as only an object, I no longer desired to take them and more importantly, I knew I could leave them behind for good.

With the tools now in hand to make the changes to my life I had failed to make in the past, and the newfound mindset that drugs are no longer a part of my journey, I begin a new chapter full of possibilities. No longer bound by the shackles of drug addiction, I have found the freedom to go live my life.

B.M., 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