I graduated from MnTC five years ago. I was born and raised around drug addiction, and I was using drugs and committing crimes myself by the time I was 13. I spent my teenage years going in and out of juvenile centers and treatment programs. By the time I went to MnTC when I was 21, I was addicted to meth and had been convicted of multiple felonies.
I think the biggest difference between MnTC and other treatment programs is that MnTC take a more holistic approach to treatment. They teach you how to live. It was exactly what I needed because I didn't know. I didn't have any hobbies, no work experience, no friends who didn't use or sell drugs. MnTC taught me how to move through daily life without drugs. I learned how to be happy, angry, sad, lonely, or excited without getting high. For people who haven't struggled with addiction that may not mean much, but if you have been using for years, then you know that it does.
When I look at the quality of life of successful MnTC grads compared to successful grads of other treatment centers, I have to conclude that MnTC provides a better product. Beyond mere abstinence rates, most of the MnTC grads that I know have gone on to live full, rewarding lives. We get to the point where we forget about our ""sobriety birthday,"" and quit thinking about staying sober. Drugs just lose their power in our lives. Having spent a significant amount of time in (court-ordered) 12 step meetings, I know that MnTC grads stand in stark contrast to 12 step group members whose lives revolve around trying to stay sober.
I recently graduated from college and I start grad school this fall. I have a great relationship with my family, and I am planning to start a family of my own soon. NA defines an ""addict"" as someone whose life is controlled by drugs. By that definition, I'm not an addict. I am a student, a son, a brother, and, soon I hope, a husband and father. I have no choice but to attribute most of my success to what I learned while in MnTC.
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