Drug Addiction Stories & Info

Addicts go through many changes throughout their journey. Most begin with experimentation, but quickly develop a dependency and addiction. Along with the severity of the addiction come many behavioral and physical changes. It is most often the friends and family members of the addict who first see the changes, as the addict begins and continues to deny them. Physical changes can include:

• weight loss
• pale skin
• no responsiveness
• decrease in energy (lethargy) or excess energy

Depending on the drugs used, there are many different, and serious physical changes that can occur as well including:

• rapid or slowed heart rate
• rapid or slowed respiration
• extremely high or low blood pressure
• the possibility of strokes

Psychological changes include:

• depression
• mania
• paranoia
• losing touch with reality
• even psychosis

Many who do substance abuse also become violent, even if they never were before. All of these things can improve with the help of Narconon’s long term drug rehab program.

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Behavioral Change in the Addicts

Behavioral changes are frequently noticed in addicts. They not only can become violent, but they begin to manipulate people, steal, and become secretive. They may disappear for hours or days without contacting loved ones. They often shut themselves up in their rooms and won’t allow anyone in. Most addicts become very good liars. It is important to note that those with substance abuse issues have one goal; to get and take more drugs or alcohol. They will use any means available to accomplish this task. Loved ones of addicts often say they no longer even know the person because of their behavioral changes. Addicts will say or do anything to get and stay high. Throughout the long term drug rehab at Narconon, the student will learn about addiction; what triggers it, and why it makes them act differently. In fact, the student will learn more about himself than he ever knew before.

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Now is the Best Time

An addict is ready for Narconon long term drug rehabs when they, or someone they love notices there is a problem. It does not have, nor should it wait until all of the above mentioned changes have occurred. Although any addict can overcome addiction, it is easier to handle if it is caught early. Often, it is the loved ones who first reach out, because of course, the addict will deny any problems. It is an outdated theory that only an addict can first reach out for help. Many substance abusers have, even reluctantly, agreed to get help at the urging of family and friends. Intervention is also a possibility and is often successful. The important thing is that someone, anyone, reaches out to get help for the addict.

The Narconon long term drug rehabs provide the structure, safety and proven methods to help addicts overcome addiction. Most students stay an average of 3-6 months in a safe, temptation free setting which is often located amidst beautiful surroundings. The time and care given to the students allows them to concentrate on themselves, and conquering their addictions. It also allows time to learn the many helpful courses which are taught at the facilities. Learning how to communicate more effectively, how to better understand themselves, and making better decisions are only a few of the courses the students take. Time is the best healer as long as it is combined with drug-free detoxification and helpful life skill courses. It does take time to properly overcome addiction, and to unlearn many of the bad habits picked up by addicts. The student at Narconon long term drug rehabs stays until they feel they are ready to start their new, fresh, drug-free life outside of the facility.

To get your loved one started on the road to recovery, call Narconon Trois-Rivières today: 1-877-782-7409.

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I’m writing this for anybody who participates in criminal offences and activities.

I was an 18 yr old girl just graduated from high school, and working at a restaurant. I then started dating a guy. Who was a meth user. My friend at the time was also a meth user. And quick enough I became one as well. It wasn’t long till I lost my job because I was staying up all the time and not sleeping or eating. Then I would start letting my boyfriend who didn’t have a license drive my car. And that resulted in it getting impounded 3 times. And costing me over $5000.

A year or so later I got into crack-cocaine and started dating a man that had a daughter older then me. We would break into cars, into peoples house and sell dope to support our habit. It didn’t matter what we had to do to get our dope, we did. I also started getting arrested for petty, but serious criminal offences. And soon after I went to jail for abit. I now had a criminal record and I was 19 years old.

I than stopped smoking crack and got back into meth and then started smoking heroin. Following that I then started escorting. Along with selling meth, coke and heroin. Bouncing around from hotel to hotel. Sketched out that the cops were constantly watching me. I was on a conditional sentence order with 15 conditions and a probation order with 9 conditions. All the cops in my town knew me. But I didn’t care. All I cared about was my drugs. I had lost everything. My family, my car, respect, dignity and poise.

After only 4 years of this hell I decided to get help. So I went to Narconon. I’v been here now for 5 1/2 months and I am almost done my program. And this was the best decision I have ever made. I feel like a new person. And have a new out look on life. I love myself and the people around me. And now no longer have drugs or anything to do with drugs or criminal activities as part of my life.

And you can make that change too.

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Most of us learn how to be a mother by example. Naturally, as we are growing up, we learn from watching our own mother. How she acts, reacts and generally lives plays a big part in what kind of parent we ultimately become. I, like many others, learned how to be an alcoholic mother. I am not myself an alcoholic. In fact, I have consciously avoided alcohol much of my life because I saw what it did to both of my parents. However, since my mom was an alcoholic, that is the example I had to draw upon when I became a parent.

As an adult, I cannot “blame” my own mother for my parenting mistakes. I can, however, understand how and why I made many of the decisions which affected my parenting. The irrationality that IS alcoholism was a big part of my decision making process as a parent. Interestingly, I made just as many  mistakes trying not to be like my own mother.

I must point out that my own mother was a success in many ways. She was a financial genius. She was also brilliant when it came to investments, and was a top notch bookkeeper for some very influential people. So, in many ways, she was a very unique person, especially given the fact that she was indeed an alcoholic. I never want anyone to think of my mother as a “bad” person. She just had one very bad practice, and that was substance abuse. Sadly, that is something I simply could not understand as a child. She was just “Mom”.

That being said… it was the basis of many decisions I made and actions I took being a parent. I learned to over-react, disassociate and continue the dysfunction. I learned to avoid confrontation, which is something my mother thrived on. As a result, I never learned how to effectively communicate with my own children. Again, my mother’s influence also had a positive affect in that I did learn how to communicate with outsiders and business people… just not family.

My mother loved her children. Of that, I have no doubt. I didn’t think she did when I was younger, but I am wiser now and understand much more. By the same respect, I know that my own children have suffered as an ultimate result of alcoholism. I loved (and love) my children, some of whom are grown, with all of my heart. I guess I just wasn’t very good at showing them many times. I did try, however, to hug and otherwise show affection to them, which was lacking in my own mother/daughter relationship.

I don’t blame my mother. I do, however, to some extent blame alcohol and drugs. My mother was an alcoholic who also was very fond of codeine. I can still remember that huge bottle of codeine being in our linen closet next to the bathroom. Back then, the dangers of codeine were not as well known, and it was very easy to obtain. I also remember that my parents had a “beer refrigerator”. They had a separate refrigerator for their alcohol. Of course, when I was young, I didn’t realize that was odd.

Physically and mentally, I believe I have many signs of being the child of an alcoholic. I was the youngest, and evidence points to the fact that my mother drank throughout her pregnancy with me. Doctors and Psychiatrists have gone over with me how that ultimately effected my brain development. Back when I was young, however, there was no ADHD or other conditions. One was either normal, or different. I was “different”. Many have also told me that the youngest child of two alcoholics often becomes a psychotic. Thankfully, that is not what happened with me. Thankfully, I also did not become an alcoholic, a fate which has already begun to affect more than one of my children.

I’ve long since forgiven my mother, who is now deceased. I understand much more about alcoholism and drug addiction, and have done a lot of reflection and investigation into my own actions and feelings. Alcoholism has greatly affected me, and my family. I can’t use that as an excuse to justify my own mistakes, but it helps to understand them. One of my own daughters is now a Mother. I worry how alcoholism will interfere with her parenting.
If wishes were rainbows, the world would be beautiful. However, the realities are that wishes don’t change much. I wish my own mother had gotten rehab at some point in her life. I wish I had gotten help with dealing with being a child of two alcoholics. I wish I had done a lot of things differently with my own children. What I CAN do is forgive, which I have done. I can also educate myself and others on the dangers of alcoholism and how it affects families. I can apologize to my own children, and try to explain. Actions do speak louder than words. Sadly, substance abuse is an action that far too many parents choose.

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These reflexions from a mother was brought to you by Narconon Trois Rivières. To know more about Narconon and what it is doing to help resolve the drug problem in our society, please visit narconon.org.

If you need help to beat a drug or alcohol addiction, please call 1-877-782-7409 to learn what are your different recovery options.

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