The Very First Time I Shot Up, My Life Turned into a Living Hell
“I was born and raised in the city of Chelyabinsk, Russia. Since childhood, I have been active in sports, drawing, singing, dancing. I just had a zest for life! At 16 years old, I achieved Master of Sport of Judo and Sambo.
“In the 90s, belonging to a criminal structure was considered cool and right. This false belief led me to use drugs. I began to turn into a criminal slowly.
“It all started with marijuana and alcohol! I felt I was respected for something, so I tried to strengthen it and make it better. Hollywood movies promoted mafia and heroin at that time. And sure enough, heroin appeared in my country immediately after that. It was imported into my city and the Hollywood movies provided the advertising for it.
“I would tell everyone ’Sniff heroin!’ and about how good it felt, that it made you feel almost like a God. At that point, I had already been enticed into the swamp.
“Eventually sniffing heroin did not interest me anymore, but I still wanted more of it. From the very first time I shot up, my life turned into a living hell. I did not notice how I had lost everything: my health, sports, school, friends, girlfriend, family relationships. Everything had collapsed.
“At first, I ignored the help offered from friends and family. As a result of my drug use, I spent 10 years in prison. And half of that time I was using behind bars! Those who believe that prisoners cannot use drugs are wrong—in prison, you can find drugs more easily than outside.
“At some point, I was so tired of my life that I decided to quit using drugs.
“Thankfully, my Mom found the Narconon rehabilitation program.
“When I started the program, I was in a zombie state. During the courses, I began to revive, to breathe new life and enjoy it. I spent time on rebuilding myself—both physically and mentally. I began to see the world, the real world! I finally realized why I used drugs in the first place!
“Thanks to Narconon and the Narconon staff, I was born again. When I finished the program I realized that many roads are now open, but most importantly, I'm just happy.
“Narconon Rehabilitation Center—it’s not a hospital—it’s much more! They are friends for life.”
M.P.—Narconon Graduate
