Narconon Graduation Speech

Narconon Success

Every Friday Narconon staff members and students have the pleasure of listening to the graduation speeches of those who have completed the program and are setting out to live their new lives.  Here is our most recent one:

“When I first came to Narconon at the beginning of August 2010, I was in really bad shape.  I was suffering severe withdrawal symptoms as a result of a culmination of a drinking career that lasted decades.  I started with Narconon as an in-patient student at the Oklahoma facility and stayed there until I finished sauna.

When I left Oklahoma and came back here to Atlanta where I live, I thought I was done with Narconon, but I had a nagging fear that I still had not progressed far enough in my program and that I was still at risk of a relapse.  So at the urging of my wife and step-daughter, who by the way was a course supervisor at Narconon in Oklahoma, and who really seta a great example by turning her life around with this program, I decided to finish the program here in Atlanta and I am glad that I did.

I feel like a totally different person than who I was when I first walked through the doors of Narconon.  Before, I was a slave to alcohol both mentally and physically.  If I wasn’t drunk, I wanted to be drunk and I was always craving a drink.  I was never comfortable inside my own skin.

Now, not only do I not crave alcohol, but I go through large blocks of time when I don’t even think about it.  I noticed that the other night as I was getting ready to go to bed after reading an engrossing book, I hadn’t even thought about having a drink either on my way home from her or when I got home.  All I did think about was having dinner and reading my book.  While that may not seem like such a big deal to some of you, for me, it was nothing short of miraculous.

And what is even more amazing to me is what I’ve accomplished in my time since I came back to Atlanta from Oklahoma in the three short months while I’ve been a full-time student here.

During that time I’ve formed a taxpayer organization in Cobb County and my work has got a lot of media attention.  I get quoted in papers, sometimes several times a week.  I’ve been interviewed as part of a story on local TV and I’ve developed a following of strong and loyal supporters.  I could go on and on.  The point is I never could have accomplished this if I was drinking the way I did before I came.  So I am very grateful for what the Narconon program has done for me already and what it promises to do for me going forward.

There is a quote from Ayn Rand, which in part says “productive achievement is his noblest activity.”  That is something which I have believed in passionately all my life, but which I betrayed with my alcohol addiction.  Well now it is time, at long last to live that Ideal.  I encourage everyone at Narconon to do the same.”