Heroin Addict’s Parent: “Our son was a monster…”

I received this from my friends over at the Narconon Drug Rehab Center:

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“Our son became a heroin addict about 3 years ago. It broke our hearts to see what was once a beautiful, intelligent caring young man turn into a demon. He lied, stole, and had no regard for life. At one point I looked at him and saw the grim reaper. He was pale, skinny, dark circles under his eyes. He was very moody, angry, and mean, had no accountability and could care less who he hurt or what he did.

“The drug had stolen my son and his spirit. Living with him was hell.

Our son was a monster.

“His drug addiction was devastating; it strained our marriage, finances, relationships with our other children and family members, and our self respect. We are living in a nightmare, but by now our son had finally said that he was tired of this and wanted to stop. We tried the 30 day rehabs. He would relapse days after he would go through a rehab program and every time he would relapse it got worse. He would use more, and the drug demon was taking total control of our son. It was so scary that I would constantly fear that I would find him dead. He did spend some time in jail and I was hoping that that would bring him around. NO the drug was still the champ.

“We heard about Narconon California from a friend. Her son was also a heroin addict and was doing the Narconon program; he was doing awesome. I contacted an Intake Counselor at Narconon, Justin, and talked with him. He worked with us all the way. He walked me through some dark moments.

“The day came that we brought our son to Narconon California. Justin told me that I would feel a ton of bricks lifted off my chest once we got him there. Our son went through the program. When I talked to him I could hear the life coming back into him. He spoke clearly, sounded healthy, talked intelligently, but most of all, he had a heart again, spoke of family and love, accountability, respect, remorse, forgiveness, and wanting to live & enjoy life. OMG!!! I had to do a double take and asked him a couple of times to tell me that it was really him that I was talking to because I hadn’t seen or heard my son for years.

“Our son has told me, ‘I know that you gave me life once, but the greatest gift you could have given me was my life back again by letting me come to Narconon. Thank you.’

“Well, that took my legs right out from underneath me. My son wanted to live again and wants to live it clean and healthy. I want to say to you, Narconon – Thank you – for giving back to us our son, our family, our strength to recover from the devastation of a drug addiction.”

~~~~ Frances P.

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I love getting these from Narconon. Their Drug Rehab Program is the most effective in the world — and that’s not just PR. Their recidivism rate is ‘way lower than normal 28-day programs because they work on the root causes of why someone has an addiction, after helping them get through a drug-free withdrawal. Their “First Steps” program teaches former addicts how to communicate with others, and educates them in a common-sense moral code so they know how to act.

Addicts going through the Narconon program are trained as “students” not as “patients”. Former addicts who go through the whole Narconon program are considered “graduates” and that’s how they refer to themselves.

There’s a world of difference in that viewpoint.

We lost a young family friend in 2008 to heroin addiction — he was 17 years old and OD’d on heroin, despite the best efforts of his family to get him through a 28-day rehab program. We regret that they didn’t make it go right to get him through a Narconon drug rehab program, although they were trying to line that up for him.

My first wife’s youngest sister OD’d on heroin in 1983, at 18 years old.

Heroin kills.

Click here for more info on heroin addiction.

4 Responses to Heroin Addict’s Parent: “Our son was a monster…”

  1. Drug Addiction Stories August 18, 2009 at 5:38 am #

    True, the Narconon program really works. But, the first thing is to get the drug addict into rehab. How? He/she needs to be motivated! Drug addiction stories are proven to motivate them. My blog http://addiction.narcononrehab.com is daily updated with stories on drug addiction. Check it out!

    Nice blog btw.

  2. kristen hunter October 26, 2009 at 9:45 am #

    My 17 year old son is a recovering heroin addict. He is currently in rehab after 3 years of iv drug use and a barrage of other drugs, marijuana, LSD, opiates, etc. It took me a long time to realize he was an iv drug user, lots of denial and ignorance. Reading this letter could have been about my son. The nightmare is one I could have never imagined and I wonder if it will ever entirely go away. I go to a lot of Alanon and Naranon meetings to help me cope with living with the disease of addiction. I don’t have the finances or health insurance to pay for rehab and couldn’t force my son in to treatment, no lock down facility and admittance has to be their choice unless court mandated. My son lived under the radar, no criminal record. I always feared that my son would get in trouble and his life would be ruined if he became a part of the court system. Now, I am grateful for that system. My husband called the police when my son was “coming down” from heroin, trying to detox on his own. He had prescription drugs in his pocket and was arrested for “possession”. That gave him a probation officer and a free ticket in to a great drug rehab treatment center. He thought he could “kick it” on his own and was scared of living in a residential treatment center. He has been there since August and will probably be there till mid January. After that we hope he will spend a year in a recovery house with an outpatient program. I wish I had called the police on him a long time ago, stopped enabling him and let him face his own consequences. The fear of incarceration scared my son in to treatment. I read about heroin addiction and get really scared, doesn’t seem like a very hopeful situation. I have learned about living one day at a time and having gratitude for all of my blessings and the love in my life. This disease has made me have to look at myself and how I live my life. I pray all the time for my sons’ recovery and hope that he can find the inner strength and connection with a higher power to live a life of sobriety and serenity. This is a lonely disease for the addict and the family. I appreciate the stories from other families of addicts, especially when they give hope and understanding. Sincerely, Kristen Hunter

  3. Tina January 28, 2010 at 4:50 am #

    My son is using also. We took him to Narconon only to have them kick him out because he came back with a dirty test. Now, I am losing it. I am barely holding on. We found out he was getting the drugs from his doctor who knew he was in rehab. The doctor is now in prison! BUT……I can not afford to send him back and I have no help for him. I do not know how much longer I can take. He is a monster. I just want my son back. Why don’t they take some of the millions of dollars they froze of the doctors and pay for a good rehab for the people he screwed up. You can not imagine what this does to a family unless you have walked in their shoes. I am dangling by a thread.

  4. L Houghton December 21, 2013 at 5:39 pm #

    My son kevin has been on drugs for 20 years. Sometimes he is so nice but other he is a monster. I have done everything for him and am beginning to think I do far too much, giving him money. He tells me he needs money for his heating. I like a fool believe him. Well, I’m at my turning point now. Because of him I’ve lost my job, my home and respect. It’s time I done something. My 2 grandsons gave him a good talking to. (That’s his sons.) They told him a few home truths. Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind

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