Her Eyes Are Sparkling Again

Drugs can totally change a person’s life in many different ways, but I would like to focus on the transformation of a person’s character. It’s almost unbelievable how drastically narcotics influence the personality of a person.

My sister and I used to be very close to each other—we were almost inseparable. We would tell each other everything and be together all the time. She was a great person, very funny, sweet, intelligent and you could count on her.

When she started using drugs, at the age of 20, all of that changed. Hour-by-hour and day-by-day I lost her and my family as well. Her addiction to drugs changed not only her physical condition but even her behaviour. She lost interest in everything and all she thought about was how to find money and buy heroin. I couldn’t even have a conversation with her—she couldn’t concentrate for more than a minute. I couldn’t trust what she said to me anymore because every time she was angry she would spit out more and more lies.

I hardly recognized her. The times when she went looking for money in order to buy heroin were the hardest. After hours and hours of praying and lying, she would turn into a beast to get her next fix. She couldn’t stop no matter how hard she tried. She would take money by force or borrow from our neighbors. In those moments, she couldn’t see our destroyed faces and broken hearts because she was so desperate to get more heroin. She was totally indifferent to our tears and our love for her.

Instead of my sweet sister with her great smile, I was facing a cold woman, who would lie and manipulate while looking directly into my eyes, without any sign of remorse. It took me a long time to get over the shock of her indifference.

Now that she has stopped using drugs, her smile and her beautiful personality are back. We are slowly reconnecting with each other again and I can feel that when I look in her eyes, I see them sparkling again. She’s on the road to becoming the same caring person she used to be.

J.S.—Narconon Staff Member

(To preserve privacy, the photo does not show an actual Narconon student or graduate.)