Getting My Laughter Back

My first memory that illustrates how terrible things were in my life was waking up one day without my family. I was alone, I looked around the room, and it was silent.
Only I existed or did I?

I may have existed in the body; however, mentally, I was foggy. Emotionally I was out of control. I was there in my body, but it was broken and weak. The pain I was experiencing mentally and physically was unbearable. I remember pulling out the bottle of medication, thinking to myself, “What am I doing?” but I took them anyway. I couldn’t stop on my own. I picked up my phone and made a call to a friend and asked about Narconon Louisiana. Then I called for help.

I remember when I arrived, I saw how happy the students were. They were laughing, interacting with one another, and enjoying life. I had lost that. True laughing, enjoying the moment, being around other people had become foreign to me. During my active addiction, I isolated, and even if I wanted to have other human interaction, the pandemic stopped me.

While I was on the New Life Detoxification, I woke up. My body felt better, I had mental clarity, and my emotional state leveled out. I felt alive for the first time in years. I got my laughter, true laughter back, my energy returned, and my overall health had improved. At that moment, I knew I was heading in the right direction.

Before I arrived, my family had enough. My husband was at the end of his rope and my oldest daughter wanted nothing to do with me. My youngest was caught in the middle, not knowing what was going on. While I was at Narconon Louisiana, I worked on myself and repairing my family dynamic. The communication between them and I are now like night and day. My husband and I are working things out. My relationship with my daughter improved drastically, and I am able to be back as a part of their lives. I was able to achieve this with the help of the staff guiding me and sometimes “holding my hand” every step of the way.

By completing the Narconon program, I now have the ability to face things as they come my way. I remain comfortable in my own skin and can operate at a higher level of life, free of any mind-altering substances. My attitude toward life has changed. My life is now meaningful and has a purpose.

“The best advice I would give to anyone struggling with drug or alcohol addiction would be to take a leap of faith.”

The best advice I would give to anyone struggling with drug or alcohol addiction would be to take a leap of faith. Things can be different. Life will be different. It is up to you to take that first step to make the change. Narconon is the answer.

—C.R. Narconon Graduate