Kristens Success Story

KS Narconon Graduate

I always felt like I never fit in. So when I had the chance to get high with the older kids I jumped on it. The first time I smoked I was 14 years old. I started off the way I think most kids do, by drinking and smoking, but It wasn’t very long until I started experimenting with harder drugs. By 16, every weekend was dedicated to getting high no matter what. I was Constantly mixing drugs to chase that high. It wasn’t until I was 20 that I found my drug of choice. I started doing OxyContin and it was the high I had been looking for my whole life. Over the next few years I spiraled out of control with prescription pain medications. By 24 I was totally dependent on any opiate I could get my hands on, and soon after I was hooked on heroin. My life was in a constant downward spiral. I didn’t care about myself, my life, my family or friends. I stole from and lied to my family to be able to afford my addiction. My parents had tried in several ways to get me clean—from “Suboxone Doctors” to NA meetings, and 3 different 12-step 28-day rehabs. Nothing seemed to work. I would get clean for a short amount of time, then something would happen and I would slide back again.

In July 2011 my parents told me I was headed to Louisiana for 3 months for a new program. I didn’t argue I was desperate for help. Upon my arrival I was very nervous and from the minute I got there I felt a calmness. The first few weeks were rough for me, it wasn’t until after I was half way through sauna detox that I started feeling like me again. I was sleeping without any medicine and my energy came back, like I was 13 again. Every step of the program was a challenge and every step was also one of the most rewarding things. I learned more about myself then I ever knew was possible.I think the most important thing I gained from the program was my understanding of how capable I really am and what I have to offer myself, my family, my friends—even my community.

This July will make it 3 years since I used drugs and I don’t ever even imagine going back. Since leaving Narconon I graduated from one of the top culinary schools in the nation, traveled the world, and was able to be financially stable enough to live on my own. I have achieved things I never believed I would be able to. I am so grateful for what I learned at Narconon. They gave me all the tools I needed to handle the situations in my life. I still have bad days and life still happens. The difference is, I am able to take it on as it comes and no longer fall victim to life’s difficulties. I have a confidence that I never had and I no longer doubt myself. Everything I gained there is intangible, but the most valuable possessions I own. I thank Narconon and the staff there for helping me realize my true potential. This program didn’t just save my life—it showed me a new way to live it.

—KS Narconon Graduate