Because of Narconon, I Am Free From Methamphetamine Addiction

 

Looking at me now, you might see someone who has it all together. But my journey wasn't easy getting there. In 2015 I was in a very dark place. It started with wanting to lose weight and to escape my marriage. I started smoking and snorting, and eventually injecting methamphetamines.

Before the drugs took over, I had stability. I had a job at the Oklahoma Veterans Hospital that I had held for six years. But meth is a thief. It didn't take long for my life to crumble. I lost that job. And after that, I couldn't keep any job for longer than two months. Then came the heaviest loss of all. I lost my children to foster care, and my parents had to step in to raise them. I knew my life was headed straight for destruction, but I didn't know how to stop the ride.

I tried to get help. I went to state-funded rehabs multiple times. But for me, those places didn't have the answers. They didn't change my mindset and they didn't fix my decision-making. Instead, they just handed me more prescriptions—pills for psychosis, pills for depression, pills for anxiety—trying to fix my addiction with more chemicals.

One month before I found Narconon, I was at another state-funded center. After just 30 days, they told me I was graduating. I looked my counselor in the eyes and begged them to let me stay. I explained that if I left, I would find the nearest drug dealer and get high. I told them I wasn't ready. But because I had volunteered to be there and wasn't court-ordered, they kicked me out anyway.

I was facing felony charges, I wasn't allowed to see my children, and I finally broke. I will never forget my rock bottom. My house was completely destroyed. The walls, windows, and mirrors were spray-painted. There were holes in the ceiling and shattered glass on the floor. The electricity was out, the water was off, and it was completely unlivable. Inside that broken house was a completely broken person.

In a desperate search for real help, I found Narconon Arrowhead. From the very first day, I knew I had arrived at the right place. The staff was so welcoming—they even drove three hours to pick me up from that other rehab.

But the beginning was a battle. It was nine days of intense pain and vomiting. I honestly could not have made it through without the withdrawal staff. Elaine, Kristoffer, Sarah, and Aaron—you helped me pull through with your comfort, understanding, and nutrition. You saved my life in those early days.

Then the physical healing began in the “Hot Box.” Sauna detoxification—wow. There is no better way for your body and mind to get fully cleansed. The niacin treatments became intense, and the vitamins in my cup got bigger and bigger. Watching the clock go tick, tick and the sweat go drip, drip as you heat up in that room really makes you respect your body. I spent 28 days in that sauna, sweating out the poison.

Then, I headed to the classroom, and that is where the real magic happened.

The Objectives pushed my mindset into a whole new world. That classroom is where I gained control over my life—and specifically, over time. Before, I was late everywhere. I disrespected appointments, missed shifts, and was late to family events. It got so much worse during my addiction. But ever since the Objectives, time no longer controls me. I control it. Today, I am early. I never miss an appointment. And my family is absolutely delighted because now, I am the very first one to show up to our events.

But the hardest part of the classroom was writing my overts (taking responsibility for my own misdeeds). Those were intense moments of clarity. It forces you to face everything you did during your addiction—the ways you wronged people and the choices that led you there. It was painful, but it was an extremely powerful way to heal. It taught me how to take responsibility so I would never make those mistakes again.

In February of 2022, I graduated from Narconon Arrowhead and today, I can stand here and tell you that my life is amazing. I don't live in a destroyed, dark house anymore. Today, I rent a beautiful three-bedroom home where I am raising my three sons—and I have sole custody of them.

When Macy's closed their business in March of this year, I didn't let it knock me down. Using the goal-setting tools I learned at Narconon, I had zero setbacks. Within that very same week, I got an entry-level job at GXO. I’ve been there for four months now, and there is already talk of a promotion coming very soon.

“Because of Narconon, I am free from methamphetamine addiction. I control time. I don’t compete. I walk in peace. My energy is full. I finally became the girl I was always seeking: powerful, magnetic, soft-hearted, and someone who can trust herself again.”

Because of Narconon, I am free from methamphetamine addiction. I control time. I don’t compete. I walk in peace. My energy is full. I finally became the girl I was always seeking: powerful, magnetic, soft-hearted, and someone who can trust herself again.

To the students still fighting their way through the program today: please, keep going. There is no better program in the world to beat addiction. It is my deepest wish and hope that every addict can get this kind of help. If a shattered house and a shattered life can be rebuilt into something this beautiful, yours can too.

Thank you to the staff, thank you to everyone who stood by me, and congratulations to my fellow graduates. We made it.

 

One last victory: I am a proud owner of a 2025 Jeep Compass Latitude named Alice! Definitely something only sobriety could bring the power to achieve: a brand new car.

Saundra H., Narconon Arrowhead Graduate