Started from the Bottom, Now 12 Years Sober

My name is Samantha and I am a graduate of the Narconon Arrowhead program. Twelve years ago I walked into the building, and 12 years ago I took my last drink and decided the group I belonged to. I will spare you all the gory details of what life was like before getting sober. But if you can imagine the line in Drake’s song “Started from the bottom, now we’re here,” then you know where I was and where I am now.

I was raised in a good home, but somewhere along the way, I decided I had to touch the stove to know it would burn me. The rules didn’t apply. Our stories are the same with slightly different details, but it goes like this… We had a problem, discovered that drugs and alcohol would solve the problem, and then they became the problem. A vicious cycle that we weren’t sure was ever going to end.

From the moment I walked into Narconon Arrowhead, I knew this place was going to be different. (I had tried two 30-day programs prior to going to Narconon.) I was terrified but relieved because I knew I was at least going to be safe from the life I had been living and was going to get some rest. As I worked through withdrawal and sauna – my eyes started to open. I saw other students laughing, eating, and following rules. It all seemed so foreign but I became curious. Then I wanted to have it. I was excited to learn about the things that others had – I later realized I had the same set of skills, I had just forgotten them along the way. But they are all things that got me sober, will keep me sober, and that I use in my daily life.

I’ve tried to compile a list of things I have carried for 12 years:

• Be there comfortably – This skill helps me in all situations. Whether having a difficult conversation or going somewhere new – I can be there in all that I am and push through.

• Sauna – I now make conscious choices about what I put in my body.

• Objectives – This is where I woke up. Some of the major wins I had were realizing “I could have whatever I wanted,” and “even though I may not be around people, my actions can have an effect on others.” These two realizations changed the way I operate in life. I can’t describe the experience I had when I came to these realizations on my own. But it changed my life. In my opinion, one of the best things about the program is that you are not led to a specific destination. All the gains are personal and come deep from within. You carried them with you all along.

• Personal Values – This is where I had to be honest with myself and my past transgressions against myself and others. You are given an opportunity and safe space to become honest, more honest than you’ve ever been. It’s one of the most freeing parts of the program. As I have continued to grow and remain sober – other memories crept up from my past (or present) but I have the tools to let go of the shame and handle it as it arises. Instead of getting stuck in the past – I am now free to live in the present.

• Conditions – This is a state of living or being. Remember that Drake song I mentioned above…what if I told you, you are given a step-by-step set of instructions on how to go from the bottom to the top? I’m not talking about math, I’m talking about a list of things to DO – to help you navigate any situation. Any relationship. Any new job. Anything. This is the magic of the program. I still have my book. And I still use these formulas 12 years later.

Life is worth living – so give yourself permission to start today. You can have anything you want and don’t let anyone tell you that it’s just a dream.

“I am a firm believer that Narconon has the tools to stop addiction. The program works. I am proof. My husband is proof. My family is proof. One time I heard someone say, ‘There is no greater purpose on this planet to have power, unless it’s helping others.’ That is the exact mission of Narconon and its staff.”

I am a firm believer that Narconon has the tools to stop addiction. The program works. I am proof. My husband is proof. My family is proof. One time I heard someone say, “There is no greater purpose on this planet to have power, unless it’s helping others.” That is the exact mission of Narconon and its staff. To help restore one’s self to a previous state – or rehabilitate.

If you are lucky enough to stumble upon this program, do not hesitate to send yourself or a loved one. Go with an open mind and be ready to come out whole on the other side. You can do this. A life of drugs doesn’t have to be forever. All you have to do is start, change, stop – and the program can teach you how.

Samantha L., Narconon Arrowhead Graduate