I went to a prestigious private school and grew up in an upper class suburban neighborhood. I was not the type of person that anyone would think was using drugs. But I was, and it nearly killed me. It started when my doctor prescribed me Ritalin in high school. From there, things went into a downward spiral. I discovered that I could crush and snort my Ritalin, because it is a form of speed. I stayed up for days and hardly ate. I was able to maintain my good grades and I got into Georgetown. My addiction got worse and I was going to two different doctors to get prescriptions for Ritalin. I was at the maximum dosage, but still, they would be gone in a week. I stopped going to class and stayed up for days at a time. I was losing my mind.

I started smoking pot and drinking alcohol when I was in high school. I went through what I thought was the natural progression of drug use from pot to pills, cocaine, crank and pretty much whatever I could get my hands on. This went on all throughout my twenties but I never believed I had a real problem because I had a good job, always paid my bills on time and functioned normally. That is what I believed but my family saw me differently and so did the rest of the world, I am now sure of. On into my thirties I still did not think that I had a serious problem until I hit 35 years old and a "so called" friend introduced me to heroin. Actually it was not the first time I had done heroin but when I had used it in the past it was just every now and again. Well all of a sudden I had this friend coming over every day asking me to go in on some dope with him. I had the money and he knew it, he was just using me to help him get his fix.

When one finds happiness, success, peace and fulfillment in life, what more could one ask? Winning the lottery, however big, wouldn’t provide the same feelings, those same feelings, that working at Narconon® Arrowhead provides.

The professionalism, which is demanded, makes it possible for the staff to change the lives of the students (clients) for the better. Being part of that professionalism, that caring, honest, clever, and committed group is a breath-taking experience.

My life was miserable. I had lost my husband and was soon to lose my children. I felt helpless. I was a clinical drug addict. My nightstand beside my bed held Xanax, Oxycontin, Lortabs, Somas, and some other kinds of sleeping pills. All prescribed to me by medical doctors.

At one time I had my own business. A beautiful family. Everything a person would want. But my life had turned into a living nightmare. I didn’t eat food. I took drugs. I didn’t clean my home. I shot up drugs. I didn’t love my family. I didn’t love myself. I was a wreck.

My life was in shambles at the age of 28 and had been for years. I thought I was living "the life" in my swank uptown loft apartment with my fly-by night friends. I was on top of the world and no one could touch me. The cocaine and ecstasy I was selling to my so called friends was the best you could buy and I was the leader of the pack or so I thought. I had lots of drugs and lots of money and people always wanted to be close to me. I was the most popular woman in town.

In February of 2005 my world came crashing down. I was almost sent away for a long time. Luckily for me I really wasn’t the big dealer I thought I was and all of a sudden everything made perfect sense. I was just another pawn in the drug game trapped inside my own addiction to the drugs. I was not invincible nor was I living "the life".

My name is Anthony. I am 16 years old. I have had a rough life just like many others. I wanted to share my story with you.

My mom was an idealistic type of mom. She had raised me by herself for many years and then remarried and had my little brother. She had a degree from Oklahoma State University. We lived in a nice house. She drove a nice car. We were a happy family. Then things started to change.

I am completely amazed at the success and gains I have made in both my personal and professional life since graduating the Narconon® Drug Rehabilitation program at Arrowhead. I have regained my self-respect, ethics, and morals as a result of the methods used to treat my addiction. My friends, family, and peers are constantly remarking about how much happier and healthier I appear to them.

This is a typical story of an average teenager going through life wanting to be a part of something and becoming a drug addict. When I was thirteen years of age I was at a summer party and was confronted for the first time with marijuana. I found myself in the predicament of, "I want to fit in and be a part of this group but I don’t think this is right." I then found myself thinking, "It’s just a little pot what’s the big deal?" Well needless to say I smoked pot that day, which quickly turned into an every day habit.

There is a drug and alcohol problem within this country that rivals all the success in the world. Countless victims fall prey to its devastation every day. The death toll in this country alone is staggering as addiction can be a silent killer too those of us who suffer from addiction do so in absolute secrecy.

I remember thinking that it could never happen to me. That I, the successful wife, mother, business owner and all around good girl, would never be a drug addict. I looked at those who did suffer with a critical eye and often times wondered "why" and quietly whispered "that will never be me". I was wrong!

I didn’t know where my life was headed, and I didn’t care. I was doing as many cocktails of different drugs as I could. I was 18 and had been using drugs for four years. It started by using only on the weekends, using with friends at parties, wherever. It quickly escalated to using methamphetamines along with other drugs daily and before I knew it, I was shooting up as much as I could, whenever I could. The whole time I was doing it, I thought I was alone.

I am a 12 ½ year Graduate of the Narconon® Program. Narconon not only saved my life, it gave me my life back.

I was a real mess, strung out on crack cocaine. I was at such a point in my life where I was just spinning in circles. Drugs had truly taken control of my life. I had become the type of person that most people would not want to be around. I became a liar not only to myself but to everyone around me and I did not care who I hurt in the process. Drugs cost me several jobs, cars, and it even cost me my marriage, but the most important thing it cost me was my relationship with my family. I was at such a place in my life where I just did not care.

 

This is my story of how I changed my life and overcame addiction. I came into drugs and alcohol at an early age. I was twelve years old when I took my first drink; I’ll always remember that feeling I had. That type of mentality followed me into my teenage years. At fourteen years old I started smoking marijuana to fit in with the older crowd.

"Before I started using drugs, I was doing well, either playing sports or busy with school. The older I got, the more I was smoking marijuana. It got to the point where that wasn’t enough for me anymore, which is when I started to drink socially.