I Never Looked Back – Clean and Free for 20 Years

I have been clean and free for 20 years. The Narconon program definitely changed my life. It was exactly what I was looking for—to break free from drug addiction. This is my story:

I grew up in Bowie, TX, and before I started using drugs, life was good. I was happily married, and enjoyed hunting, fishing, and spending time with my family. Things didn’t go south until I started using drugs. When I first started using meth, it wasn’t on a daily basis. I was in my mid-20s and out on the job. You start out trying to handle it without abusing it, but as life goes on, it continues to spiral out of control until you can’t function without it. Once I was on drugs, life fell apart year after year. It became a dead-end road.

When I was using drugs, I would stay up for days. I didn’t want my family around, so I would separate myself from my wife and kids, not wanting to use around them. I’d be up for three days, then down for three days. It just destroyed my life during the 20 years I was using.

I remember learning something at Narconon about how life is like a high-speed interstate. You just have to know where the bar ditches are. Well, I was fully in the bar ditch.

I hid it from my wife for a long time, but eventually, she caught on. When she served me divorce papers and my kids stopped coming to see me, I realized I was ready to quit. Everybody has a low point, and some are lower than others. Mine was pretty low.

My wife did some research and found Narconon. I had already been to a 12-step program, but it didn’t stick very long.

When I first got to Narconon Arrowhead, I slept for three days. Once I completed the sauna program, I really started to feel better.

When you're on meth, you start a thousand things and never finish any of them. I realized that in order to get my life back on track, I had to finish this. I had to prove it not just to myself, but to my wife and kids. I came to terms with the fact that this was what I had to do. The way out is through, and I realized that I had to go through it.

Being on the program gave me the time I needed to get close to God, read the Bible, and rekindle my relationship with Him. I realized that I can’t do anything by myself. I have to have Jesus if I want to accomplish anything.

I had a supportive family, and none of them looked down on me.

When I went through the program, I was done. It was a life-changing experience for me. Since then, I’ve helped four other people go through that program.

Graduating was amazing. My mom was there, as well as my wife, kids, and their wives. It was an exciting night. It was an accomplishment that I did on my own and with the help of God. I finally completed something, which was something I hadn’t done in years.

My proudest accomplishment since then is getting my life back on track and regaining the confidence I lost with my family. I am also now an ordained preacher.

“Now, when people see me, they say,
‘If it worked for Don, it’ll work for anybody.’”

My relationship with my family is over the top. All my kids come to me and tell me how proud they are of me for overcoming addiction and being strong enough to get help and admit I had a problem. I’ve been with my wife for 49 years now.

My favorite thing about being drug-free is knowing that I’ve put the dark days of my life behind me. I never look back. I don’t need them, I don’t want them, and I don’t require them.

—Don R., Narconon Arrowhead Graduate