From Rock Bottom to Redemption
At 20 years old, I was a college student studying Psychology, and I was happy, or so it seemed. I juggled lectures, made new friends, and did very well in my studies. However, under the surface, I was battling a secret that would soon unravel everything: heroin addiction.
My story is one of darkness, loss, and redemption. What began as experimentation with pills spiraled into full-blown heroin addiction. It took many years to get to that point, but by the time I entered into college, I was already using a needle to get high. Heroin had taken hold of my life and made me numb to everything.
I tried to maintain my life for a while, and I didn’t have to worry about a job. I would attend class, stay focused, and get good grades. But by the middle of sophomore year, everything started to fall apart. I stopped being on time, my grades started slipping, and World of Warcraft was the only thing I cared about. Instead of studying, my days became a cycle of getting high and escaping into the game I was also addicted to.
I wound up leaving school in the middle of the year and became fixated on getting high and playing WOW. Days blurred into nights, and weeks passed without me knowing. I was the leader of a Rated Battleground team, so I would spend twelve to eighteen hours a day logged in, coming up with strategies, and talking to guild members. My relationship with my family fell apart, and I had no friends to speak of in real life. Then, one day, after going to the doctor like I did every month and getting what I called my goodie bag, I got caught. I would get 120 10mg Vicodin, 120 325mg Soma, 120 10mg Valium, 1 8oz bottle of Codeine, 30 10mg Ambien, and 30 Ciprofloxacin. I put all the bottles on my nightstand and just started popping pills. I took too much and wandered into my parent’s bedroom at 3 am, stating I needed a hat for a date.
My mom was in shock and followed me up to my bedroom where she found everything: the pills, the powder, and the needles. I hit rock bottom, but my mom didn’t want to give up on me. She decided to get me help and save my life. She found Narconon, a drug rehab in Louisiana. I was skeptical, exhausted, and too broken to even care at the time. I went because I perceived there were no other options, and deep down, I wanted to believe there was still hope. Narconon wasn’t easy, as it challenged me in ways I hadn’t anticipated.
The withdrawal was intense, but the drug-free withdrawal that I went through was one of the most rewarding things I ever did when it was all said and done. Narconon’s approach was different as it emphasized purging the toxins from my body through nutrition, exercise, and sauna therapy. It wasn’t just about getting clean, it was about healing all the damage I had done to myself.
By the time I completed the program, I felt so amazing; like I was 10 years old again and had never taken drugs in the first place. The most transformative part of the program was the life skills training I received. For the first time, I was able to confront the root cause of my addiction. I had to take responsibility for my condition in life, learn how to rebuild trust, and develop the tools to navigate my own life. All the staff at Narconon believed in me, even when I didn’t believe in myself. They didn’t see me as a lost cause—they saw me as a person worth saving. Slowly but surely, I started to see that too.
“When I finished the program, I wasn’t just sober, I felt alive again. I was able to reconnect with my family again, especially my mom, who had been my lifeline throughout the whole process.”
When I finished the program, I wasn’t just sober, I felt alive again. I was able to reconnect with my family again, especially my mom, who had been my lifeline throughout the whole process. There are still challenges, but I have the tools to face them head-on and conquer them, thanks to Narconon.
If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, know that it’s never too late to get help. Programs like Narconon can make all the difference. My story proves that even in the darkest times, rebuilding your life and getting sober is possible.
Narconon Graduate
