Long Term Sobriety and a Newfound Sense of Clarity
Arriving at Narconon, I felt terrible, disconnected, and overall, nervous. I didn’t know what to expect going into it. After an intense 12 year problem with drugs and alcohol and several attempts at recovery, I didn’t know how the Narconon program would be different from any of my other failed attempts to get sober. The first thing I noticed was how comfortable everyone was. I had always hated the very clinical, rigid, and cold treatment I would get from other in-patient programs, but everyone at Narconon was so friendly, it made it easier for me to be a bit more comfortable.
The detox was the most frightening part because every time I tried previously to detox off opiates/alcohol in a clinical environment, I’d feel so terrible physically and mentally I’d get so depressed just sitting in a bed all day with an occasional group session/nurse check-in. But at Narconon, having someone work with me one-on-one all the way through withdrawal, really made a huge difference. Most days, I felt like doing nothing, just lying in bed, but the constant attention from the withdrawal specialists encouraging me to get up, go outside and engage my mind every day, that made all the difference. Despite not having large doses of medication to ease withdrawal symptoms like I normally did in other detoxes, I quickly began to feel better through the vitamins I was taking and the physical/mental techniques used by the withdrawal program to ease my symptoms. I slowly began to sleep better, and my appetite returned. I came out of my depression and started to feel genuinely excited for the program. It ended up being one of the easiest detoxes I have had.
Moving onto the sauna program (New life Detoxification), I continued to get the drugs and toxins out of my body by spending time in the sauna, exercising, and taking vitamins/minerals. This was an important part of the program for me. It allowed me to take time to clear my mind while getting 12 years of drugs out of my body. As each day went on, I started to feel clearer, happier, and my sleep/eating habits continued to improve. I remember sitting outside by the pool one day, enjoying the weather and thinking myself, “This is the first time I’ve felt this good without drugs in years, and all I’m doing is thinking about the weather!” That was a big moment for me, and it made me realize I could be just as happy and feel so much better without drugs. I started to find joy in simple things again, and this got me really excited for what the future would hold.
Next, I began the course portion of my program, objectives, and life skills. Objectives was my favorite part of the program, hands down. The sessions really helped me understand myself more. With each session, I became more in communication with myself, my environment, and the people around me. It helped me realize where I had lacked control in my life in the past, the things I needed to let go of to move forward, and the ways I responded negatively to different situations I found myself in. Going through those sessions really helped me gain a lot of self-awareness, and this is where I really started to notice the largest improvements in my behavior/thinking since getting off drugs.
In terms of my Life Skills course, I found it to be the hardest part for me. Throughout my time in life skills, I really dug deep into the problems I had created for myself, where I had been irresponsible, and where I needed to change. Up until that point, I always felt like I had understood my addiction to a greater or lesser degree, and when asked, “why are you a drug addict?” I would give answers that would blame, justify, or flat-out negate the reality of the situation. After a long time looking at my past actions, problems, and the things I did to solve them, I was able to truly understand my addiction wasn’t an inherent part of me, nor was it someone else’s fault.
Drugs were a solution to a problem I couldn’t understand or solve for a very long time. In discovering those problems, understanding how I tried to solve them, and the damage I caused to myself and others as a result, I was truly able to handle those problems once and for all. The best part was reconnecting with my loved ones and taking responsibility for my relationship with them. One of the biggest problems I faced in life was communication, and with the help of the Narconon staff, I was able to understand how that affected every aspect of my life. In reaching out to family, reestablishing communication, and taking responsibility for my past failures, I was able to create a line of open, honest, and genuine communication with them, something I had desperately wanted but had not been able to achieve in a long time.
“By the end of my program, I felt like an entirely different person. I had a new set of goals, a newfound sense of clarity, a strong relationship with my loved ones, and most importantly a reignited passion to live my life to the best of my ability.”
By the end of my program, I felt like an entirely different person. I had a new set of goals, a newfound sense of clarity, a strong relationship with my loved ones, and most importantly, a reignited passion to live my life to the best of my ability. I almost considered myself foolish for coming to Narconon at first, thinking, “I’ve tried so much counseling, so many 12 step rehabs, inpatient, outpatient, what’s the point?” but after completing the program, I am confident it was one of the best decisions I’ve made for myself, my family, and my future. I know now I can move forward with my life without going back to drugs!
—L.M., Success Story
