True Stories
Phoenix House Graduates
PEDRO R.
Phoenix Academy of Los Angeles
Since I have been at Phoenix House, my behavior has changed beyond belief. I have earned my parents’ trust back and it’s like we’re a family again.
I started off using meth when I barely began high school. I had already been using marijuana which eventually led me to other drugs such as coke, mushrooms, alcohol at the age of eleven. When I first tried crystal meth I instantly fell in love. I had finally found the drug that I was looking for. The high lasted for hours and I could either smoke it or sniff it. The stuff was pretty cheap and very easy for me to get.
One of the things I loved about meth was that I wouldn’t be able to sleep at all, so I would be awake for days. After a while of using almost every day, I started to hallucinate pretty bad. I started to see and talk to people that were not even there. While on the drug, you don’t get hungry – not one bit – so I started to lose a lot of weight. There were times when I didn’t want to use the drug, but I felt like I needed to.
I ultimately became so dependent on crystal meth that I could not function without it. I ended up spending almost $1,500 on meth in a period of just five days – that’s how addicting the drug is. I always made sure I always had plenty around. When I didn’t have any crystal, all I could think of was getting some. It was one thing that would always be on my mind… crystal. I could not stop thinking about it. I would shake all the time when I did not have it, but when I did have it, I felt happy, like everything was okay and back to normal.
One day it finally dawned on me that I really had a problem. I lost my family’s trust due to all the lies and stealing which I did to support my habit. I spoke to a drug counselor that recommended that I check into a treatment center, which was Phoenix House.
My first three months of being in treatment was very hard. All I would think about was meth. I would have dreams about meth every day, and I would wake up in the morning and check my pockets and underneath my pillow looking for it, but then I would realize it was just a dream. When anyone would talk about it, I would shake and start sweating because I really wanted to smoke some.
Since I have been at Phoenix House, my behavior has changed beyond belief. I am now able to deal with all the cravings. I have gained weight, which I am really happy about because I was so skinny before. I have earned my parents’ trust back and it’s like we’re a family again. All of this would probably not have happened if I had never have done that first line of crystal… that is why I am here to tell you my experience because I would not want to see anybody go through what I had to go through.