In the series "How are things now" we talk with former patients about the period they started treatment at Castle Craig. They tell about their experiences and how things are going now. The names have been changed, but their stories are real.
Jack (26) 2014
When I was admitted to Castle Craig I was completely exhausted physically and mentally. I was addicted to cocaine and to lorazepam, a heavy sleeper, which I took because I was too rushed by the coke. I slept on it, but I had no real, natural night's sleep. The first weeks in the castle were hell for me. I could cope with the lack of cocaine, but I really had to get rid of the sleeping aid by slowly reducing the dose, which meant that I didn't sleep for nights on end. Fortunately, the nursing staff gave me excellent guidance and after a while I started to feel human again.
Partly because of the excellent therapies we received, I started to discover myself more and more. Despite that, it seemed to go wrong again soon after returning to the Netherlands. At a party I was offered a line of coke, which I accepted. In the first place, I should never have gone to that party. That was lesson 1. But the second lesson was even more important. Because of everything I had learned in Scotland, I didn't get an up-feeling from that line, but a down-feeling. I immediately regretted it. '
Jack (32) 2020
'That night in 2014 was the last time I used it. After that I never attended parties like that again and I never let myself be seduced by my addiction again. My experience at Castle Craig in Scotland left me disgusted with the drug at that party. And in that regard, it may have been a cathartic experience for me that I then relapsed. Maybe I had to find out for myself what drugs did to my new me.
When I went to Castle Craig I was in the WW. Now I am a personal trainer, I give nutritional advice and I teach people that choosing a different lifestyle pays off. And that's how I see recovery. Like a different way of life that keeps me healthy, energetic and happy in all areas. '