Narconon: The Greatest Gift I Ever Gave Myself

Everyone has the potential to become a powerful person, regardless of whether or not they have struggled with addiction. By overcoming adversity a person becomes stronger and more resilient. Our goal at Narconon is to help people learn how to help themselves which in turn causes them to grow in the process.

Two and a half years ago I had reached my ultimate low in life. I was addicted to heroin, I was beaten, broken, and slowly killing myself. I had made several attempts with AA, maintenance programs, and group counseling to try and get myself on track, yet every time I found myself back where I started… or worse.

I decided to make one last-ditch effort to try and get my life back.

So I packed my bags and headed to Colorado for a long-term program that focused not only on addressing my drug use but also the underlying causes as well as my physical health.

I came to Narconon hoping to get clean and find some way to just survive, but what was given to me was so much more than what I had hoped for. I was given my identity back, happiness and peace in my life; I was given my family back, real friendships, goals, and direction for myself. I graduated the program feeling empowered and free from the grips of my past, not just the drugs but all the other pain and hardship that went with it and came before it. Narconon takes a different approach to recovery and different was exactly what I needed. I couldn’t grasp the concept of being powerless or having a disease, I couldn’t accept that I would forever have to identify myself as an addict… Narconon taught me that “addict” was not some scarlet letter I had to wear for the rest of my life. This program enabled me to discover who I was and what I wanted for my life. The program allowed me to gain an awareness of myself; what was good for me and what wasn’t, my emotions and how to deal with them, and how to set goals and formulate steps to reach them.

Today I am just me… I am not an addict, I don’t live in fear. I just live life and do so in every sense of the word.

I completed my program in September of 2014 and made the decision to stick around for a while and help others. I eventually became a staff member and continued my healing by helping to heal others. In September of 2015, I decided that it was time to go home… to go back to being a full-time mom and standing on my own two feet. I would be lying if I said I didn’t have any reservations, but in my heart, I knew it was time.

Upon returning home I faced some struggles, it took me over 4 months to find a job, I had to endure a nasty custody battle with my son’s father, lingering doubts and distrust from family and friends, the ending of friendships and relationships, and loss of loved ones. All things that in the past would have triggered me to use so I could escape and not deal with all the uncomfortable stuff. But something was different this time… not once did I want to pick up a drug… I didn’t want to escape. I knew how to handle these things and that came from everything I learned and achieved at Narconon. I put one foot in front of other, applied the tools I had learned, and worked through it.

I now have a full-time job at an outpatient drug and alcohol facility, in March I am going back to school to finish my degree, I have a wonderful relationship with my son and my family, I have great friends, I am financially stable, and though my life is not without struggle I find peace in knowing I am equipped to handle whatever comes my way. On May 18th, 2017 I will have 3 years clean… today I am just happy, truly and simply happy; a place I never thought I would be in my life.

I had to fight like hell to get here but the remarkable staff at Narconon inspired me to fight and continue to support me to this day.

I am forever grateful for this program and all of the people that make it possible.

Jen C., 29—Narconon Colorado Graduate, New York