A Narconon Graduate's Story - text 1

A Narconon Graduate's Story

A My name is Eirik and I am 29 years old and have been on drugs since I was 14. Recently a 13 years old girl got an overdose at a private party. It could have been me 15 years ago, but I made it through the hell and came out on the other side. At that time I started smoking hash and took some pills, I also started with other things to see if they where as good as people said. I was so lucky that I had a work the first years I was addicted to heroin.

B Actually I had everything I could wish, a girlfriend I loved, I had a good car and an apartment, we got a wonderful son, and I had one more thing, a heroin use. This made me start lying to my girlfriend and friends. The most terrible was that they didn't even know about my addiction and therefore couldn't understand what was going on with me.

C During the time when I started using more and more drugs, the things slowly fell apart. I lost my job, I couldn't pay the bills, my drug use cost 1700-2200 Euro per week, I couldn't contribute to my family and the relationship started to fall apart too. But it didn't bother me. I have been in and out of many rehab centres, but without the expected result. The only result was that I could stay pretty drug free while at the rehab centre. But I could feel that my life was not getting handled there, I used it as a kind of "Vacation" from the streets and got some kilos on my body. During that time I lost my car, girlfriend, apartment and family. I ended up on the street, I didn't know what to do and my addiction became worse. I had to steal, make burglary and sell drugs to get for my own use. In the end I thought that all hope was gone and prepared myself to die as an addict. Then I heard about Narconon, something there should change my life drastically.

D I got an approval from the commune to do the program and to try for the last time to get drug free. When I arrived to Narconon Denmark I was scared to death, I had an idea that it would be a hell to get through the withdrawal with all the abstinences and I almost couldn't confront it, but I was wrong. The way they helped me, by the help of vitamins and assists, did that I got pretty easy through the withdrawal. The care I experienced at Narconon Denmark, I have never experienced before any place I have been. I could feel that they had been through the same and had a technology they understood to use.

E I can't think of anything I don't like about Narconon. If anything then it is that you gain so many kilos. The staff members are careful and help the person through all the difficult periods. The place is 100% drug free. I have got a really good relationship with my family again and look forward to be a real dad for my son again. I have found out that it is possible to change condition in life if you come to the right place and that place was Narconon Denmark for me.

contribute – přispívat

fall apart – rozpadat se

withdrawal with all the abstinences – překonat abstinenční příznaky

1) Read the article and match each of the headings to a paragraph.

1 Things started to fall apart

2 Lying to my family

3 Introduction

4 My return back to life

5 I went to Narconon

2) Read the article again and answer the questions.

1 What is the text about?

2 What was Eirik’s problem? What do we know about his life and family?

3 What is Narconon?

4 How did Narconon help him?

5 What do we know about Eirik’s life today?

3) Explain the following words.

1 overdose

2 addicted

3 rehab centre

4 bill

5 burglary

What does the life in a rehab centre look like? Is there any similar organisation near Jihlava? What are its activities? Under what condition can the clients stay there? What types of rehab centres do you know?

Adjusted to:

http://www.narconon.org/drug-rehab/centers/narconon-denmark.html