Being an Addict

An addict feels like he is traveling on the loneliest road ever taken, but in fact, he rarely finds himself actually alone. Even when he is homeless and living on the streets in the cold winter nights, somewhere there are people who care and a family who mourns his absence and his struggles.

I spent over a year on the streets struggling to survive, doing what I thought was necessary to make it through another day. All the while, I thought I was alone—but I wasn’t. I had a mom, dad, sister, brother-in-law, nephew, son, and other loved ones praying for my return.

Drugs had gripped my soul and taken my ability to do anything but trudge through feet of snow looking for more drugs. I robbed, I stole, I lied and cheated to get drugs. At one point I remember accepting the fact that I had gone too far. I had done too many drugs and I was unable to be helped. But finally, after a near-death experience, I came to realize I wasn’t alone. I had a family who cared and people who loved me who wanted to help me beat my addiction.

“Thanks to my family I was able to get 

a second chance at life…”

With the help and support of my family, and a lot of willingness on my part, less than a year later I’m back on my feet. I’m working a job, staying sober, still fighting a good fight to stay there, but I’m able to do it with the help and support of my family. The importance of family to me is undeniably the reason I get to write this story today and can stay clean and sober to tell my story again tomorrow. Thanks to my family, I was able to get a second chance at life and with the tools and knowledge gotten from the technology I learned at Narconon I’m able to live a happy, drug-free life.

Mike M.—Narconon Ojai Graduate