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What stayed with me about Darren was the steadiness he grew into — a man who once came in raw and restless, but learned that showing up each day mattered more than any single breakthrough.
First Impressions
I met Darren on a Tuesday morning. He’d just flown in from the UK, and he looked like someone who hadn’t let himself rest in a long time. Not tired, exactly — more like the edges of his life had been pulled too tight for too long.
He was 46, and he had the full list: alcohol, cocaine, weed, mushrooms, MDMA, steroids, ketamine, DMT. Some of it regular. Some experimental. But every bit of it spoke to the same thing — a long search for escape, or relief, or maybe just silence.
Facing Detox and Intensity
He told me, almost casually, that his last use had been on the plane to Thailand. The way he said it wasn’t defensive. It was matter-of-fact. Honest. As if to say, “I know what I’ve done. That’s why I’m here.”
Detox was rough, but once he got through the first week, something started to settle in him. Not peace — not yet. But commitment. He threw himself into the program. Fully. Sometimes too fully. He had this intensity, like he was trying to recover all at once. It made group sessions lively. Sometimes exhausting. But also real. He didn’t hold back.
Building Consistency
He stayed with us for three months, and in that time, I watched him come back into himself in a way I hadn’t expected. He was one of those clients who surprised you. Not because of dramatic breakthroughs or emotional outbursts — but because of his consistency. He showed up. For group, for other clients, for himself. Especially for himself.
Reconnecting with Family
He reconnected with his family. Slowly. Cautiously. They weren’t angry anymore — just tired. And he didn’t try to win them over with grand gestures. He just kept calling. Listening. Showing them he was hanging in there, and still trying.
New Rhythms
On weekends, he started going for long jungle walks behind the facility. He said it helped him clear his head. I think it was the first time in years he had a rhythm to his day that didn’t revolve around substances or survival. Just walking. Breathing. Being.
Moving Forward
When he left, he wasn’t a different man. He was still Darren — full of energy, slightly impulsive, still figuring it out. But he had something new: a sense of direction. Of agency. He understood now that recovery wasn’t about fixing everything. It was about showing up. Every day. Even when you don’t feel like it.
He has kept in touch and often sends updates expressing his gratitude and sharing pictures of his new life.
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