The Lows and Highs of Drug Addiction and Recovery
Narconon Vista Bay Review of Program Graduate
Most people who have a drug addiction problem do not enjoy good relationships with others. They tend to be alienated from family and friends. They are depressed, feeling guilty for things they feel they shouldn’t have done. They may also feel guilty that they are unable to handle the ordinary responsibilities of life such as holding down a steady job, or paying one’s obligations and keeping one’s promises. Because of this steady spiral downward, most drug addicts feel guilt, and feel that the only way to find relief is to get high. Of course, this self-destructive behavior also makes it impossible to be productive on the job. This means that an addicted person normally loses relationships, trust of friends, family and employers, and jobs or careers.
As stated by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, addictive behavior “interfere(s) with the ability to think clearly, control feelings, and regulate behaviors, especially under stress.” These are, of course, abilities and qualities that are necessary for good performance in a work environment. As addiction steals away one’s best qualities and replaces them with lying and theft, people abusing substances lose jobs and become unemployable.
Millions of Americans Impair their Employability with Drug Abuse
The National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) stated in August 2012 that illicit drug use in America has been increasing, with an estimated 22.6 million Americans ages 12 and older using an illicit drug in the past month. This includes those who had abused a psychotherapeutic (prescription) medication such as pain relievers, stimulants or tranquilizers. The statistic represents nearly nine percent or one in every eleven persons age 12 and older, up from 8.3 percent in 2002. This rise is mainly attributed to the increase in marijuana use, which is the most-frequently used illicit drug.
Some people resort to extreme measures to obtain more drugs, such as stealing prescription medications from the family medicine cabinet or stealing jewelry or other valuables from family in order to obtain more money to buy more drugs. Rarely does a typical job provide sufficient income to support a costly drug habit.
People who handle finance for a business may siphon off money for themselves, nurses may give themselves drugs meant for patients, construction workers may steal tools off the job site and pawn them, all to maintain their drug habits. Thus addiction not only hurts the individuals, it harms the businesses they work for.
It is Possible to Get Effective Help
What if one could find a way back to sobriety, restore his relationships with his family, and begin once again to take responsibility for his life and goals? People who have gone through the unique drug rehabilitation program at Narconon experience such results on a regular basis.
The long-term Narconon program helps the recovering addict achieve lasting sobriety. Whether one has been using marijuana, opiates, heroin, alcohol or any drug, he can find effective help through the Narconon drug and alcohol rehabilitation program. There are more than fifty locations around the world, most of them residential, where one can restart his life, and learn to live a happy, productive and drug-free life once more.
One graduate, Nick B. describes how he learned how to be productive and hold a job again. “I’ve had the same job for five years, and that’s huge, I was never able to hold down a job before,” he said. At Narconon, Nick said that the program didn’t just help him stop using drugs, but it rehabilitated his ability to work again. “They make it possible for a person to do what they want to do with their entire life,” he concluded.
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