The Group was becoming a bubble that I wouldn’t be able to live without.

The Insight Program Survivor: 2019

I was 17 when my parents gave me no other option but to join the group or go to military school. When I joined the group it was like nothing I had ever experienced before.

In high school I had 3 close friends but when I joined I instantly had 60 friends. Prior to joined I maybe got high a handful of times and drunk a handful of times - so I felt like I didn’t belong which really messed me up mentally because I relied on other people convincing me I was an addict when I really wasn’t.

I was doing very well at Insight. It felt easy, but then it got to a point where people stopped giving me attention and gave it to the newer guys. I was expected to be able to do it all myself and I had no idea what I was doing so I felt lost and people kept telling me that it was my recovery so it was my responsibility.

They were very manipulative for example they would tell me “the faces may changed but the love stays the same” and it just felt really wrong. I made some great friends but we were expected not to talk to them after they had left or gone their separate way.

I used to stay up all hours of the night and my memory took a big hit from that and I still have a hard time remembering things today.

I felt like the group was becoming a bubble that I wouldn’t be able to live without. Frankly I did more drugs after I left insight then before. My personal belief is that insight is better at creating young drug addicts rather than helping them.