Life is Good, and I Owe it to Narconon

I entered the Narconon Program on August 26th, 2000, and graduated on December 19th, the same year. 

Yes, my 20-year graduation anniversary is right around the corner, and it’s really hard to believe. I am unbelievably fortunate to have been able to live two lives this lifetime and have gotten a second chance to make things right.

What led me to Narconon was a lifestyle of drug abuse that had me facing years in a federal prison and hundreds of thousands in fines. I had nowhere to turn, and thankfully my sister had been doing research and found the Narconon program.

The first thing I noticed when I entered the program were the staff who seemed like they actually cared and that the people on the program wanted to be there. They all seemed happy. This was a big deal as I had had previous experiences with psychiatrists who I either felt didn’t really care or had no reality on what I was going through. I didn’t have any confidence that the people whom I had dealt with previously could actually help me. Not so with the Narconon program staff. They were professionals, including some who had gone through the program and were now there helping others do the same. I wanted what they had, and I received it… in abundance.

“The wins I experienced on the program were many. I learned how to effectively communicate with others and improve my ability to control communication.”

The wins I experienced on the program were many. I learned how to effectively communicate with others and improve my ability to control communication. Comfortably being there and not reacting negatively during a conversation, especially with someone who can push your buttons, is a very powerful tool and one of the very first things I learned on the program. Self-control, Wow! What a concept!

I then had the opportunity to reverse the negative physical effects of the drugs and alcohol by purging all of the toxins out of my body and restoring the nutritional deficiencies caused by substance abuse. I felt so much better physically, which greatly reduced any desire to abuse anything.

One thing I noticed about myself was wanting to isolate myself from others, especially those that I felt inferior to or had committed harmful acts against. I was very introverted. After doing the therapeutic objective processes on the program, I was no longer stuck in the past. I began to see a bright future ahead and had some hope.

I then learned how to identify (and change) any anti-social traits that I had. I can identify these in others, which allows me to choose a better group of people to be around. I was then given the opportunity to unburden myself of the transgressions I had committed, which was the turning point for me in my program. It was like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders, and I can remember thinking and knowing that day that I was never going back to drugs again.

I was not sure how things were working or what was happening at that time, I just knew something had shifted for me, and I was on the right track. From there, I went on to learn how to improve the conditions of my life across all areas, including my personal self, my family, any groups I wanted to be involved with, and society as a whole. Very common sense, but very powerful stuff!

I completed the program and wanted to educate kids about the dangers of drugs and did so. I have spoken to over 135,000 kids personally and started two drug education programs in Oklahoma and Hawaii that reached over 650,000 kids over a ten-year span. I did graduate aftercare, community relations and went on to run the Narconon Hawaii program.

I am now an Internationally Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor, a Certified Prevention Specialist, and Certified Intervention Professional and have my own Intervention Company. I am happily married for 14 years with both of my sons doing remarkably well. Life is good and I owe it all to the Narconon program!!!!!

Bobby Newman, CIP, ICPS, ICDAC
Founder & Interventionist
Newman Intervention and Addiction Services