I Am Free – Sober Since 2014
My name is Krystal and I was born and raised in Natchitoches, Louisiana. I had a normal country life before doing drugs. I had a dad and a stepmother. It was nothing out of the ordinary—just a blue-collar American family.
In 2010, my dad’s house burned down, so I moved back in with him to help him. I ended up staying there, and I had a really good time. We had a bunch of horses and would go riding and go-carting.
I started using meth intravenously in 2011. Before that, I had gone out partying at clubs and used recreationally but not IV. There were people at the house that I was staying in that used it, so I gave it a try. I thought that I could just use it once, but it didn’t work out like that. It got really bad in 2012.
I lost everything because of drugs. I lost my kids. My daughter had moved back in with her father, and my sisters kept their distance from me. Essentially, I didn’t have any relationships left at all. It was at my sister’s wedding that my IV drug use came to light. My dad came and swooped me up when he found out. My brother had been to Narconon before me and was friends with the 2 interventionists that came to get me.
When I first arrived, I was terrified. I weighed about 90 pounds coming in. I had the mindset that if I wanted my kids back, this is what I had to do. I thought I would just fake it till I made it. Then along the way, I realized it was more than that.
It was comforting knowing that the program started with a drug addict applying tools and that it had been implemented in a prison. Everyone there was sober, and many of the staff members had been addicts before, so I didn’t feel like they couldn’t understand what I was going through. There was no judgment. They knew exactly what I was going through as they had been through it. Being in a situation with people that did not judge taught me to not be ashamed of what I did. I was able to just accept it.
Before doing the program, I had had really bad dreams. I had gotten tangled up with drugs and I had a bad relationship with someone that was physically and mentally abusive, so I had lots of nightmares. I started in the sauna program, and the nightmares stopped. It was the first time I had slept through the night in a very long time.
During the program, I also realized I didn’t need a man in my life—I had always thought that I needed a man.
The day I graduated was big. It was the first thing I had successfully completed in my life in decades. My dad brought my kids to it, and my mom was also there.
Now I have been sober since 2014—I’m celebrating 10 years.
I have a great relationship with my family now. My dad and I are close, and my sisters are my biggest confidants.
“The most important thing to me is my family.”
The best part of being sober is that people trust me. I don’t have to worry about getting my next fix. I don’t have to worry about lying to people. I am free. My family trust me, my job trusts me. Basically, it’s being an adult. Now I look forward to having grandbabies and watching my niece and nephews grow up. The most important thing to me is my family.
My advice to someone in addiction now is just this: don’t give up. You’ve got to want it. And for those in recovery, hang in there. Work through your conditions in life and stay honest, especially with yourself. Honesty is a game changer.
Krystal G., Narconon Arrowhead Graduate
