Here are several success stories written by Narconon Colorado – A Life Worth Saving graduates or their families. A success story is a precious thing. It shows how making a positive change in one’s life can affect many people around them.
Pat and Cindy B. – Las Vegas
“Narconon Colorado – A Life Worth Saving not only saved our daughters life, our son’s life, but ours as well. Our daughter began abusing prescription drugs after a car accident. In a short amount of time she was smoking Heroin, taking Xanax and pain pills. Yes, it can happen to anyone, all walks of life.
We have always been very involved parents. Our daughter had a wonderful life and we were very close. She was quite worldly and had been to over 45 countries by the age of 18. Her dream was to work with children in Africa, but drugs took over that dream and took her away from us. We as parents were aware of the addiction symptoms; personality changes, money and jewelry missing, lack of concern for her appearance and missing work.
We had been through a similar situation years prior with our son who had a near fatal accident at the age of 15. He was in a coma with permanent brain damage causing him to have no short term memory. Our son was an honors student and a gifted athlete, this part of his life was taken from him. We took him to several brain institutes with all the same answers, you can’t repair the brain, teach him to do a menial job. These answers just made it worse.
Between prescription pain pills and depression, everything was out of control. It began a 9 year addiction to Heroin, Pills, Cocaine, anything he could get his hands on. We tried 12 step programs they didn’t work for him. We finally did the tough love program and threw him out on the streets with nothing. He was in and out of jail, we waited every night for a phone call saying he was dead. Our life was hell. We would not speak to him until he was willing to get help.
I had began researching numerous rehab programs and the one that always came on top was the Narconon Program. I contacted Dan Carmichael from the Narconon Program, he was wonderful, patient and so helpful. What impressed me the most about the Narconon Program was the Sauna program. It’s how they rid the body of the drug toxins that are in the fast tissues of the body. There is no time limit on any part of the program and everything in the program has a purpose to it. After a long journey and the help of Dan Carmichael our son began the Narconon Program.
The beginning was rough, he was unable to learn. Narconon’s staff refused to give up on him. They taught him to use the undamaged part of his brain to compensate for the damaged part. Our son is now finishing up his Masters Degree with Honors, has an amazing job and newly married. So when this happened to our daughter we were totally devastated. She was out bay, but a car accident, a bad choice of friends and depression can take that away from a family over night.Once again we contacted Dan Carmichael at Narconon and sent her to Narconon Fresh Start in Fort Collins, Colorado. our main contact at the center was John Veto, what a great person. John was always in touch with us to let us know of our daughter’s progress and there for us anytime we needed him.
We have made several trips to visit her in Colorado. the facility is spacious, clean and well organized. There is professional staff available 24 hours a day. The cook Tina prepares healthy meals daily and truly cares about the students. Rick Turner, Senior Director of Administration has dedicated his life to helping people overcome addiction and is wonderful with the students and very understanding, along with the whole Narconon Staff. Our daughter felt so strong about the program that she decided to stay and intern and is now a staff member at Narconon Colorado. instead of helping children in Africa she is helping people that she can relate to in overcoming their addictions. We cannot thank Narconon Colorado and there staff enough for bringing our daughter back! ”
Maria B. Mother of Mike T. – Las Vegas
“The first time we had to dig my son, Mike, out of a drug hell he was 20 years old. His father had the dubious honor for that one. He said that it took some pretty strong actions to remove Mike from his drug addict “friends” since they were reluctant to let him go.
Dad sent him to me and my parents in New Jersey and we began the process of getting him well. He was skin and bones; his teeth were a mess, his mental condition was terrible. We cleaned him up, fed him, got his teeth fixed and did all that we could to bring him back to some kind of normal existence.
This was the start of a cycle that would continue for the next 21 years. We would dig him out of one hell hole after another. The filth and destruction in each was horrifying. How could he live like this? He was not raised this way. We would clean him up and get him help. We got him into rehab. I later learned from a friend that he was using within a week of getting out.
His drug of choice was meth, but he was willing to try anything else as well. He would get a job. At first, he always excelled. This very intelligent man, whose IQ was once tested at 180, would learn the job quickly. He was a phenomenal salesman – always earning the top awards for sales. And, then he would start missing work and would be let go.
His health deteriorated. He was at least 30 pounds under weight. He developed COPD, asthma, and anxiety attacks. I remember a time (one of the times he was working) that he called me from the men’s room. He was having a full-blown anxiety attack. It took me about 30 or 40 minutes to calm him down. Another time, he got so bad that we spent hours in the emergency room while they worked to calm him down. Of course the doctor prescribed Xanax to help him with this problem.
His father and his brother finally had enough and they removed themselves from the drama. I don’t blame them. It was very painful to watch him destroy his life. I often wonder if I had stopped enabling him sooner, would the cycle have stopped. But, leaving my son in a despicable hovel was impossible for me to do.
Surprisingly enough, he was never arrested until the very end. It was right after Christmas and I got the call from the jail. Then a new set of problems evolved – bailing him out, paying legal fees. The end came one day last spring when he called to tell me that he had been robbed. His wallet with all of his ID’s, his phone, his tablet and his car were taken. Apparently he had gotten high, and crashed. It was during this time that his things were stolen. By this time, Mike had deteriorated so badly both physically and mentally that he was barely able to function at all. He was having rages – punching his fist through walls. I finally had enough and told him that he had the choice of the street or rehab. I think even he realized that he would not survive much longer in this downward spiral. He agreed to rehab and we started searching the web for treatment centers.
It was actually an accident that we happened on Narconon. I was looking for a treatment program that was recommended by a friend. I am a firm believer that everything that happens in life happens for a reason. We called the phone number that was listed on the website. We spent the next hour or two speaking with an intake person, who told us all about the program. She took all the time we needed to understand it. She had been in the same place as Mike at one time, and she understood very well what he was going through. She told us that Narconon would not only free Mike from the drugs, but they would teach him the life skills that he had lost after years of addiction. We learned of the sauna program that would totally clean his body of the drug residue and toxins that were the result of long-time drug use. When she was through, Mike said,”Sign me up.” She insisted that I read all the testimonials on the website from both addicts that had completed the program and the families whose loved ones had completed the program. She gave me phone numbers of family members to call. I spoke with a woman who said, “These people are angels.” Her brother had been through about five different rehab facilities before he went to Narconon. He is now leading a productive life. All of the reports were so positive that I became convinced that this was the place for Mike to go.
Three days after we first spoke to Narconon, Mike was on a plane to California. He was to detox there before going to Narconon Colorado – A Life Worth saving. They called me as soon as they picked him up at the airport to tell me he was with them. During the 10 days Mike was there, Roger called me every day to tell me of his progress. After Mike arrived in Colorado, someone called me at least once a week during the time that Mike was in the program to tell me how he was doing.
When Mike completed detox, he called me for the first time. He already sounded so much better. As he moved through the stages of recovery, he kept improving. After completing the sauna program, his health problems began to disappear. The anxiety attacks were gone. His asthma was gone. He was no longer restless and jittery. He said even his hearing was better. He is now at a healthy weight and works out often.
Mike completed the program and decided to stay on for the three-month internship. He will finish that in the next few weeks. He recently spent several days with us over the Thanksgiving holiday. We were amazed at his progress. He is strong and healthy both mentally and physically. He has goals and plans for his life. I truly believe that Mike is on his way to a happy and productive life. He has not only made friends at Narconon Colorado – A life Worth Saving, he has found a new family.”
Maria – Mike’s Mom
Mike T. – Colorado
“The Narconon program really helped me to see how I’d been living for what it was. I learned how to confront my life and the mistakes I’d made and to make up for them. Best of all I learned to move on and really have a life I can run and control. A life where I have the tools and understanding to make things happen the way I want them to. I am finally at cause over my life and this world and not just a victim of the effects of catastrophe, humiliation and regret. It’s funny how I used to imagine what it would be like to live a genuine, fulfilling life. Now, I actually know because I live it every day.”
Nick C. – Florida
“While I was in withdrawal I got to experience a lot of positive energy. Starting with getting picked up at the airport. The way Nate was explaining everything to me made me sure I was going to the right place. Once there I got to see the peace with the staff at work. I became focused on what and who I wanted to be. I have no reservations to return to the addiction lifestyle. I realize now that I always settled for that, sometimes I felt as thought that was my role in life. I now know that I was just not prepared to push through a lot of uncomfortable situations. Bottom line was I just did not know how to fit in with other people. I had been doing drugs for so long that I just would resort back to what I knew. Now I am motivated to learn the tools I will need to be the person I was put here to be. I have great faith, hope and determination and am 100% committed to being a success, Julie, Kyle, Alex, Lilly and Matt all played a big role in my attitude.”
Jennifer M. – Fresno, CA
“My drinking was out of control! I was in and out of hospitals and I was beginning to have liver failure. In fact, I lost my job because I was always sick and Jaundiced caused by the alcohol. I needed to drink to function in everyday life. I had lost hope… Then my sister found Narconon on the Internet and my family insisted that I go. I came to Narconon very skeptical. I didn’t believe that anything or anyone could help me, but once I began the initial sauna purification portion of the program I started to feel like a new person! Alcohol cravings went away, my liver and medical complications went away and I was healthy again! Throughout the program I continued to feel better and better both physically and emotionally. I learned to be in control of myself and my life. By the end of the program, everything really came together and made sense to me. I no longer want or need alcohol and I now find new meaning in life being happy and productive.”
Dave V. – Sacramento, CA
“Before coming to Narconon, I was a wreck! My drug and alcohol addiction got so out of control, I lost who I was. My family and friends did not know how to help. I was physically sick. I had to keep drinking alcohol just to keep from having a seizure from alcohol withdrawal. One morning, after not eating for five days and only drinking alcohol, I called my brother. He asked me to get help and suggested Narconon Colorado. I agreed to go. It didn’t take me long to realize that this was not just another drug & alcohol rehab. This was a life changing, life skills, and life repair program! The people here and the staff are incredibly caring and devoted! The knowledge and tools that Narconon Colorado has given me has no doubtably allowed me to find myself and find true happiness in life without alcohol or drugs.”
“I really do not have the words to describe how I feel today as compared to the life I lead engulfed in the degradation of drugs. How do you describe the day to day agony and humiliation of being a drug addict. Drugs control and destroy life and make you do things you would never dream of doing if not for the illusive and hollow promises you tell yourself this chemical will give. How do you describe this insanity in such a way to make others understand just how devastating it really is. How do you explain a life without pride or integrity or peace of mind, not even a little. How do you describe the guilt and alienation from life.
I came to Narconon a broken mess of a human being. I had lied to myself for so long that I started to believe there really was no hope for me, or a way out of the trap. I told myself that I was a drug addict and that somehow explained and justified my impeccably wasted life. I was more dead than alive and numb!!!
Today I have no words to really explain the difference in my life. Narconon has taught me how to live again. Narconon has restored my faith in myself and given me a peace and stability that can only be dreamt of. No longer do the chemicals of evil men call my name or haunt my dreams. No longer do I fear or hate or have to hide. I am successful and happy and I have a future. I can see again and have restored faith in myself. I can look people in the eye and be proud. I can smile and enjoy even the smallest of simple pleasures.
Narconon made me whole again. How do you thank someone for saving your life?”
“When I first came to Narconon back in 1997, I was 27 years old, had been using every drug under the sun for 15 years and was basically in apathy as to whether or not anything could be done to help me. This was my third rehab in a year and I truly wanted help, I just didn’t think it was available. So I started doing the program and I could not find anything wrong with it. No matter how hard I tried, with all of my old paranoia and distrust in full effect, I just couldn’t find anything wrong with it. Here was a program that didn’t have me admit I was powerless and diseased, want me to relive my terrible past 90 times in 90 days (for the rest of my life) or want me to take ‘medication’ for my ‘manic depression.
This is a program that truly showed me that I am powerful, that I can repair the past and that all the happiness I ever hope to find is within myself. This program not only showed me how to stay off of drugs, it did just what it promised, it gave me a new life. If you’re at the end of your rope and you’re ready to put in some good, honest hard work to make a change for the better, without drugs, Narconon is hands down the best drug rehabilitation drug program on the planet, period. I’ve been clean for 3 years now and I owe it all to my grandmother for getting me to Narconon and to Narconon and Mr. Benitez and Mr. Hubbard.
Thank you very, very much.”
“I would like to thank the staff here at Narconon for helping me and having faith in me. Everyone was a lot of help. The staff always kept me on my toes and help me push, push, push till sometimes I felt I couldn’t push any more (I was wrong). It’s hard for me to think about where I came from, you would have to live it to understand. I don’t know where I am going to go in life but I know I won’t go back to where I have been. That’s behind me now. I’ve come too far to go back and besides I like, or should I say… I love being drug-free!!”
“The Narconon Drug Rehabilitation program has saved my life. I cannot begin to explain the sense of happiness that has been restored to my life. I once pictured myself as a drug addict that was beyond help, but today that picture has changed to one I am proud to face in the mirror every day.
My drug abuse began thirteen years ago with a simple six-pack of beer but quickly turned into a $300 a day heroin habit. I reached out for answers and help along the way but was never able to find the solution to my drug abuse. I went through countless 12 step programs that never pacified my desire for heroin. My addiction took me to county jails in four states three hospital trips for over doses and finally to the State Prison. All along the way I knew that my addiction was controlling my life but I couldn’t stop. I had resigned myself to the fact that I was a drug addict and that was all I would ever be. When I got out of prison I was offered a chance to go through the Narconon Program. I didn’t know if it would work but I knew that if I didn’t do something soon I was going to die.
I arrived on the Narconon Campus on June 17, ’98 and that was when my life finally began to change. Through the course of the program I regained the sense of personal integrity and responsibility necessary for me to stay off of drugs. There was one day that I had the tremendous realization that for the first time ever I was in control of my life and could honestly say that I was happy. This was when I knew, I had finally conquered my drug addiction and I owe that to the Narconon Program and staff.
I am very happy to say that since I have completed the Narconon Program I have enjoyed health and control over my life in a way that I have never before experienced. My past life was ruled by drugs, the getting of them and the using of them, for over 25 years. I was cynical, depressed, angry and tired. This program allowed me to confront myself and my environment. It provided me the opportunity to physically heal and to mentally expand. I, in effect, have discovered my spirit, in a new and ready condition. I have captured the confidence and wonder of my youth. By successfully completing this program I am, for the first time in many, many years, living freely and with purpose. I have awakened to my potential. I accept the challenge.
Thank you Narconon Staff!”