Article January 1, 2001 ISSUE

good-bye, drugs

by Laura Milone—Montevideo, Uruguay

I don't remember many of the details of how it all happened, but the fact is that about three years ago I was able to escape the world of drugs. Taking drugs had seemed necessary to be part of a group or to be popular. I felt pressured into following the crowd and trying the thing everybody says makes you so "high" and "cool." That's how I got hooked.

It was a nightmare. I didn't want my parents to see me high, so I spent several nights on the street, in the middle of the winter, while they believed I was staying with a friend. I even stole from the people I loved, so I could buy drugs.

After a couple of years, my parents began to notice my behavior, and my grades at school went down. Then they discovered what I was doing. They cut off my contact with the friends who were doing drugs.

As I stopped taking drugs, I suffered withdrawal symptoms, and they began to pray to help me.

Then, because of my father's job, we moved to Miami, in the United States. I had never traveled by plane and was terrified. But I didn't want to take tranquilizers to calm me down, because of my recent addiction to drugs. The trip was very, very traumatic.

During our two years in Florida, we traveled to Boston, and had to go by train because of my fear of flying. It was during my time there that, for the first time in months, I felt there might be a way out, and that was through the study of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. I knew this book was my only hope, I knew it from the Christian Science Sunday School from when I was 12 or 13.

I would read until very late at night, and sometimes I would wake mom up to tell her about a wonderful passage l'd found, or an inspiring idea that would come to mind. It was as though I was beginning to mature. I began feeling more secure. I knew this reading was transforming my whole way of thinking, but I don't remember the details or passages that impressed me.

Back in Miami, I returned to high school and finished school with flying colors, even though I had always thought that I wasn't intelligent and would forget everything I learned.

When we returned to Montevideo, I was able to accept the idea of traveling by plane. Still frightened, I sat close to my mother and closed my eyes when the aircraft began taxiing. When it took off, the fear just disappeared and I enjoyed the flight.

Also, as a result of studying Science and Health, my health began to improve. And I was completely healed of the drug addiction.

After returning home to Montevideo, I looked at the world from a different perspective. I went back to the school I had left and made new friends, and I no longer felt any pressure from my peers to take drugs.

I am very grateful to God for this healing.

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