A Unique Approach to Drug Addiction
Saved My Life

Nothing speaks to the effectiveness of the Vista Bay program like testimonials from people who have been through the program. This article was written by Lora French, a one-time student at Vista Bay, whose story reflects the path that many addicts take before they realize that they need help – and that they can’t recover from addiction on their own.

A month before my dad passed away, he told a close family friend that I would be dead within a year. I was only 21, and drugs had destroyed my life and my relationships. I went through four drug rehab programs; none of them worked. I always went back to drugs and caused more damage. I simply did not care. After my dad died, I spiraled down to the point where I no longer wanted to live. Dad’s premonition almost became reality.

Then, a worried friend drove me to a drug rehab program that had just been started in the Santa Cruz Mountains. I don’t remember much of what was said that night, but I do remember asking the director of the drug rehab, “Will I still want to use drugs if I complete this program?”

I’ll never forget his response. He looked directly at me and replied, “Lora, you may always want to use drugs. But if you do this program, you won’t need to use drugs.”

Finally, someone had said something that made sense. He didn’t fill me full of unrealistic goals. He didn’t try to sell me a quick fix – which is what I wanted by that point. So I did what any committed drug addict would do: I left. Two weeks later, I was in jail, sitting in a holding cell and staring at the phone on the wall. I picked up the phone and called Vista Bay – collect.

“Are you sure you’re ready?” the man on the other end of the phone asked.

I answered, “Yes,” and within two hours, my bail had been posted.

I remember driving up a heavily wooded, winding road. It was dark. I was scared. I couldn’t see what was ahead of me, and I was not convinced that this drug rehab would be any different from the last. I was wrong.

I graduated from that drug rehab fourteen years ago. I’ve experienced the death of my husband, received my black belt in Tae Kwon Do, lived through a life-threatening illness, gone to college, repaired my relationships with my mother and my brother, and am currently in the process of raising my now 13-year-old son. And I’ve done all this without the need for drugs.

Vista Bay approaches drug addiction in a way that I had never been exposed to. The program focused first on cleansing my body. I learned how drug residues had been stored in my fatty cells and that the majority of my cravings were tied to small amounts of these residues releasing back into my blood stream.

Next, the drug rehab taught me practical life skills. I learned how to sort through the issues that had led me to drugs in the first place. I never once sat in a group therapy session. Instead, I worked through the books that were given to me in a classroom setting. I worked at my own pace. I was never rushed to complete or understand some aspect of the program. I came to realize what had led me to drugs. I discovered the person I truly am, and about how to live a drug-free life.

Over the years, I have stayed in contact with Vista Bay. I have watched it grow from a small six-client facility tucked at the top of a heavily wooded, winding road to a drug rehab facility that can now help over a 100 drug addicts at a time.

Thanks to Vista Bay I no longer view myself as a drug addict. I don’t even view myself as a recovering drug addict. I am simply a woman living my life productively. The power of drug addiction no longer has its hold on me. Those words from long ago became a reality for me. I no longer need drugs, nor do I want them. My dad would be proud.

About the Author:
Lora French lives in Santa Cruz and currently writes on a variety of topics surrounding drug addiction and drug rehabilitation. For more information on the drug rehab program that saved her life, visit www.vistabay.com. If you plan to reproduce this article, please include the link above.