I started smoking pot and drinking alcohol when I was in high school. I went through what I thought was the natural progression of drug use from pot to pills, cocaine, crank and pretty much whatever I could get my hands on. This went on all throughout my twenties but I never believed I had a real problem because I had a good job, always paid my bills on time and functioned normally. That is what I believed but my family saw me differently and so did the rest of the world, I am now sure of. On into my thirties I still did not think that I had a serious problem until I hit 35 years old and a "so called" friend introduced me to heroin. Actually it was not the first time I had done heroin but when I had used it in the past it was just every now and again. Well all of a sudden I had this friend coming over every day asking me to go in on some dope with him. I had the money and he knew it, he was just using me to help him get his fix.
Well this went on for a month and at the end of it I was strung out big time. My life totally changed at this point and I started to loose the responsible person that I had always been.I struggled with my heroin addiction for the next 10 years. I was fired from my job and found myself homeless for a time. I resorted to doing things that I am not proud of to get money for my dope and this helped to land me in jail more times than I care to remember. Life had become unbearable and I was utterly hopeless and was killing myself. It was also killing my mother to watch her daughter destroy her life. I was being very selfish because I was thinking I was not hurting anyone but myself, when this was actually the farthest thing from the truth when it came to my family and the community that I was in. I was creating damage all around me and could not see it.
Then I heard about Narconon® from a family friend and decided to give it a try. I had been in many rehabs prior to Narconon and never had any success so I was ready to try something different. This program changed my life so completely that it is hard to even express how much. It also taught me how selfish I had been to think my drug use only affected me when in actuality it affected everyone around me and I understand that now.
I was so grateful to Narconon I decided to make a 5 year commitment to this organization by joining staff so that I could give back some of which I have received. I am almost at the end of that 5 year commitment and I have had some of the best years ever in my life. I feel like the job that I do everyday is truly making a difference in peoples lives. It is so wonderful to hear someone say "thank you for giving me my son or daughter or spouse back". It is so rewarding to see the change that people go through from when they first arrive here to when they graduate the program.
My work experience with this organization has been so satisfying that I have decided to continue my employment here for as long as they will have me.
Kelly Falcone
Narconon Arrowhead Graduate, March 22, 2002
Story written May 23, 2007
If you know someone who needs help with drug or alcohol addiction or would like more information about the Narconon Arrowhead Field Referral program please call 1-800-468-6933 and ask for Desiree Cardoso or DannaSue Lafitte or email fsmic@stopaddiction.com.
Together, we are saving lives, reuniting families, and making stronger communities through effective drug and alcohol rehabilitation.
http://www.stopaddiction.com
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