Drug Addiction Stories & Info

From downtown Vancouver comes the success story of Randy Miller- a drug addict reformed, and now leading a happy, healthy life.

Randy says that when a child his dream of fame was to be a hockey star.

He never thought that fame would come by reason of his against the odds recovery from addiction to drugs.

Randy was good at junior hockey, a happy young kid who somehow got into drugs and dropped out of school at the age of 17. It has been said that Randy’s childhood experience of success in the world, was marred by an abusive father.

By 23, Miller had got off drugs, become a welder, and married.

Following leg surgery, that would have been in Miller’s early 30′s, he used and became addicted to narcotics – and ended up back on the street, a dealer in drugs who had his patch corner Columbia and Hastings Street, using heroin and cocaine.

For thirteen years Randy lived on the streets, addicted to drugs – beyond redemption, homeless and cut off from his family.

Not many people walk away from drug use in downtown Vancouver, and Randy Miller has to thank the RCMP initiative of the year 1999 that took live footage of interactions between police and drug addicts in Vancouver – that became the iconic video – “Through a Blue Lens”.

Randy was one of the addict stars of the movie – a heroin addict writhing on the ground in the throes of drug psychosis – a movie that Randy could not bring himself to view for more than a year, so difficult was it for him to confront and face the reality of his addiction.

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An infection is credited with getting Randy into hospital and the attention of authority figures, that got him onto a methadone program, that he eventually recovered from, to become drug free today.

In 2006, Randy was nominated in and received the eighth annual courage to come back award, in the addiction catagory, at the age of 52, in Vancouver, BC.

Coast Mental Health also tells the story of how Randy got into drug addiction and recovered, to regain employment and a girlfriend, to become a public speaker against illicit drug addiction.

see article: 

It was a definate turning point for Randy when he discovered that against the odds he was not HIV positive, as a result of drug use, and whether it was the hospital and or the Odd Squad that got him back in touch with his family, is really not the point.

Randy met his estranged family, was motivated to get out of drug use, was put on a methadone program – that it took him three years to get out of, and he is now in recovery from drug use and addiction.

Randy is resilient – he should have died on the street – yet against the odds he survived – and according to Randy he does not know how he did it.

Today, Canadian kids in schools get visits from the Odd Squad that informs children about the dangers of drug use and Randy is one of their speakers. There is no doubt that the talks get the attention of kids – but if as a result a child wants to quit drugs - where do kids turn to from there? 

Likely kids will be advised to use the traditional drug based system for detox and rehab if they have a drug problem – not all will have the resilience of Randy to get free of the maintenance drugs that are used to support traditional drug recovery programs, within 3 years or at all.

Well meaning people who provide drug education talks need to be aware that drug-based systems for addiction recovery are not the only option.

Drug free, comprehensive alcohol and drug addiction recovery models are based on scientific principles and natural healing methods – with an evidence based track record of success with addiction recovery.

In February 2012, the Ottawa Citizen ran an article concerned about the current “surge” in presentations of children in ER, suffering from drug related problems, that include the abuse of Ecstasy.

see article 

We have to get real and understand that kids as young as ten know all about drugs, and what they do, in the sense of providing a “high’, some excitement in life, and they know at an intellectual level that drug use is harmful.

None would know better than Randy Miller what it means to use drugs and recover, only to return to that slippery slope, against reason, against better judgement – and relapse for thirteen years.

Drug information is not drug prevention and mixed messages can inadvertantly be given to kids, by people who kicked drug addiction, but don’t really know how they did it.

In Canada, the reality is that despite the widespread use of traditional drug prevention programs, drug use by children is increasing.

Not enough people are aware that traditional drug maintenance programs have a failure rate of about 90% in terms of getting people into independent drug free living, and they expect relapse to occur.

No child wants to use drugs by choice, no child wants to become an addict – no one wants to be on a methadone program when completely drug free addiction recovery is possible.

We don’t help our kids to ovecome drugs – we simply feed into the system when in good faith, we provide drug information that fails to promote natural, drug free addiction recovery programs as being state of the art.

Drug counselors and educators wanting more information should call

Narconon Vancouver  for comprehensive help and advice

on how to help kids find their way out of drug addiction and into a happy, addiction free life.

A jazz musician, Charlie Parker was famous for his saxaphone playing. He was a leader in the “bop” or bebop style of jazz that was all the rage in the 1940′s. Charlie Parker was born in 1920, died 1955 – at the age of 34.

Charlie, also known as Yardbird, sometimes known as Bird was one of the post-war jazz artistes who were addicted to heroin. He nevertheless transformed the face of jazz with bebop that was the beginning of modern jazz.

It would be too easy for a young person who has maybe some talent as a musician to think that he (or she) might improve their style by doing drugs such as heroin. The facts of the life of Charlie Parker show quite clearly that Charlie had a talent for jazz – for composition, improvisation, for playing that was totally spoiled by his addiction to heroin.

The original cause of Bird’s addiction to opiates is said to be that he was given morphine after injury in a car accident, that led to a lifelong addiction. Certainly, young people in the 1940.s, when seeing successful entertainers such as Charlie Parker were influenced in their decision making – that it was “hip” to do heroin.

For all his skill and innovation, the reality was that Charlie’s friends often had to wait around for hours – while Charlie took his heroin, went on the “nod” – eventually “coming good” to put on a brilliant, if not somewhat erratic performance.

This compares with Charlie in the 1930′s, being said to have practiced his music, for several years – for around 15 hours per day.

In 1945, Charlie went to California, and lacking his usual supply of heroin, got into heavy alcohol abuse instead. The story goes that Charlie was drunk, set fire to his hotel room, and went running naked down the street, after which he was placed for six months into the Camarillo State Mental Hospital. Although the treatment received is said to have got him “clean” of drugs – Charlie then returned to New York and got straight back into heroin use.

Although Charlie Parker was a legend in terms of his musical capabilities, as a result of his heroin use, he was often refused further work due to not turning up for performances, that might be a result of his heroin use, or him being out searching for heroin when a performance was due. At the height of his addiction, Charlie lived on the support and charity of friends.

When Charlie finally died, in 1955, the pathologist thought that he was examining the body of a 50 to 60 year old man - Charlie was in fact only thirty four years old when he died. Although pneumonia and a heart attack were relevant causes – Charlie also suffered from cirrhosis of the liver.

The life of Charlie Parker might be compared with that of Miles Davies. 

Miles, originally a bebop student with Charlie Parker, became, like so many jazz performers of the 1940′s, addicted to heroin. Miles eventually broke away from the bebop movement and was a leader in the development of jazz .

Miles used heroin for about four years before he decided to go cold turkey, and give it up, as he could see the damage that heroin use was doing to his life. Although Miles lived the “driven” life of a reformed, but not fully recovered drug user, he survived, and was able to make a great contribution to the development of jazz.

While Charlie undeniably had more talent, his work was plagued with and eventually sacrificed to the heroin addiction, that finally took his life.

People often wonder about the apparent connection as between creative genius, in any field, and substance abuse and addiction.

A most insightful article that is the text of a Playboy panel discussion about “Narcotics Addiction and the Jazz Musician” makes it very clear that drug addiction is not limited to jazz professionals, nor is it to be regarded as an “occupational hazard”. 

The Playboy article comes out firmly in support of a viewpoint that drug addiction is the result of problems with a person’s background, his upbringing, more than his occupation.

The article also makes it clear that people who are drug addicted lack the precision and the co-ordination to deliver excellence in the performance of music.

Although a person might deliver, under the influence of drugs, a performance that is inspired, it depends very much on the individual as to whether their inate talent gets them home, or whether they simply end up with a performance that lacks any merit.

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Substance abuse and addiction is ultimately a personal problem. Drug use is not a disease. Ask any drug user and you will find – they use drugs to resolve the emotional issues and difficulties that they have in life.

Complete addiction recovery is not about giving up drugs. it is about getting effective, comprehensive support to resolve our lifestyle problems – that will enable us to give up drug use – and lead an addiction free life.

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When you need to get off drugs - Narconon can help.

Born in Alberta, 1982, and raised in British Columbia, Cory was, at the age of 5 able to read far in advance of his age.

However, with parents divorcing when he was 7, Cory was a troubled youth, who says that he went to around twelve schools before he was thirteen, including alternative programs. He was into drinking and drugging with his friends, and by the age of sixteen – this promising student quit school completely.

By age 19, worried family members put him into drug rehab, after an intervention, but Cory says – “I did the stint, but afterwards went back to exactly what I was doing before”.

 The turning point in Cory’s life – what might be called a spontaneous recovery, in fact was a result of many fortuitous circumstances happening at once, – enough to enable Cory to both question and then overcome the cycle of addiction that ruled his life. Not everyone is lucky enough to have everything in their favor,  at once, some will need professional, effective, and experienced help.

Having stolen money from family for drugs, he was told to get straight or he would be reported for theft to the police.

Knowing that he would be found out for the theft, Cory says that he now sees it as a cry for help – that was answered in terms that required him to take responsibility for his actions – to reconsider his drug abuse – and do something about it.

Although many children and youths flounder at that point, due to lack of effective support, Cory moved in with a family member, in a small town – where he was both offered employment as a roofer, and introduced to acting.

It was at this point that Cory decided that he was going to work out why he did drugs, to take a good look at his life. For the first time, Cory felt the satisfaction of “working hard” and being “good at something”.

see article: 

Monteith tells PARADE – a message for all – “I don’t want kids to think that it’s ok to drop out of school, get high – and that they will become famous actors too.”

In fact, for Cory there is, aside from the acting, a most important personal victory.

 He has obtained, through an alternative school – in Victoria, BC – his high school diploma.

And, in 2009, he re united with his father – after having virtually no contact with him, for over 17 years.

At some point Cory found forgiveness – of his parents and their faults.

It is often said that parents do the best that they can for their kids. It is not often that children can come to understand what this means – and totally forgive their parents for their mistakes, their failings.

Parents who do fail to love their children, and provide support, in every case will be found to have been, similarly deprived themselves.

As Cory says:  “At some point you realize that parents are human. They make the best decisions they can with the options available to them”.

It is for each and every one of us to take responsibility for our own lives, regardless of the conditions we suffered, in our family of origin.

Some people try drug rehab, do a “stint’ and fail to make a recovery. Recovery from drug addiction is not so much about giving up drugs, but about recovery from conditions that have made us feel unloved, and unlovable. It is about re-evaluating our lives – from a position of self esteem.

To a young child, abandonment issues, when a parent for whatever reason, is no longer there, can feel as bad as actual abuse from a parent who remains in the home.

As Narconon President Clarke Carr has said – in his experience -” drug addiction is most profoundly a consequence of a person lacking life skills.”

The understanding and confidence to deal with life often comes to people only after many years of reactive self abuse, and addiction.

For Cory, now a Canadian “star” – with many achievements on his record, the glitz and glamor of “stardom” holds very little attraction. Cory maintains sobriety – a balance and happiness.

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 ”I’ll go out, but I leave early, before the shenanigans. I really don’t do the Hollywood party thing”. 

“I’d rather watch sports, watch videogames, play sport, workout or sleep, to be honest”, he says.

Having a life of your own, that is hardworking and successful, that is independent of other people’s values, and what you feel that you “have to do” has been achieved by Cory.

For young people in Canada who have got themselves into drugs, and for their parents, the situation can feel overwhelming, with lack of communication, lack of understanding.

Not all drug rehab is the same, not all families have a capacity to provide that much needed help to those members who have turned to drugs, to parents who feel at a loss, unable to help their children.

Narconon is in Canada, an international alcohol and drug addiction recovery program that enables people of any age to become free of drug addiction. No matter what the history, or the type of drugs that have been abused, Narconon offers comprehensive help to enable complete addiction recovery.

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The Narconon program provides thorough detox and full support – enables complete drug addiction recovery.

Graduates of the Narconon program have come to be and to realize that they are “good at something” – happy, contented and productive, in their chosen field.

Some might choose to go on and achieve a higher education,

but most importantly,

 Narconon graduates have self esteem – are completely drug and addiction free –

ready and able to start a new life – free of the chains of the past.