I Grew Up in Addiction, Narconon Gave Me a New Start

I was eight years old the first time I tried alcohol. By thirteen, I was smoking cannabis and taking poppers. By fifteen years old, I was taking anything I could get my hands on and binge drinking. I stopped for a few years, from fifteen to seventeen years old, then started Cocaine and drinking again. 

 

By age 20, I was using cocaine every weekend. It seemed so grown up, and I wanted to escape from my life. It was also a lot of fun. I went from someone with not much confidence to someone who felt equal to anyone, confident and fun, and I had the confidence to party and socialise. I felt carefree and happy. 

“I was told I would not be alive in six months if I did not stop. I wanted to be a person again. My life was a living death.”

Then the confident nice feelings became less and less. I was paranoid, and I isolated myself to drinking and taking cocaine alone. I felt worthless. I was in and out of relationships as no one could tolerate my behaviour. I was told I would not be alive in six months if I did not stop. I wanted to be a person again. My life was a living death. 

After one seven day binge out in Spain, I decided to seek help. I came across Narconon and got in touch. Within two days, I was on a flight to Narconon in Sweden to start my recovery. I stayed on the program for five months. 

Whilst at Narconon, I went through many different stages of the programme, which all offered their own very unique qualities. I started with a drug-free withdrawal, which was completely unlike any other rehab I had been in. They let me rest, take vitamins and start to feel strong in my own time. Once I was fit and ready, I started the sauna detox. This was great fun as I was in there with some great people and we never ran out of things to talk about, which passed the time quickly. After a few days of sweating all the toxins out, I was starting to feel like a new man. After the detox, I went into the classroom to start the objectives. These practices were fun and really taught me discipline and patience. The last section of the course was life skills. Here I sat with a Narconon staff member and went through everything I had regrets about and how I could correct them. Doing this really lifted the final weight off my shoulders. 

 

So here I am nearly 2 years into my new sober life. I am happily settled in a nice house with a loving partner and 3 amazing dogs. I wake up every morning feeling fresh and happy to still be alive. I now have all my old friends back, and things really seem to be going my way. If I can do it, anyone can do it! Don’t be afraid to reach out. 

Thanks for reading, Kris.