Archive for February, 2010

Narconon network celebrates its 44th birthday

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

The Narconon drug rehabilitation program began on February 19th, 1966, based on a decision by Arizona State Prison inmate by the name of William Benitez. After reading a book by humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard, “The Fundamentals of Thought”, Benitez recognized there could be a whole new approach to curing himself and helping others get permanently off drugs - concentrate on your abilities, rather than your addiction. It sounds simple now, but it wasn’t to an inmate who had tried every other method to get off drugs way back in ‘66.

It worked. Benitez created a new program and helped dozens of others get off drugs in the prison, too. Following his release, he continued his mission by starting to deliver drug education presentations to students, one of the first persons to do so. It set an example now followed by Narconon® drug education specialists all over the world, reaching millions of youth. The Narconon drug education curriculum has even been studied and found to reduce drug use in all categories addressed. Benitez also founded the first Narconon residential treatment center in Los Angeles, from which have descended centers across the world, from Nepal to Cape Town, St. Petersburg to Oklahoma. Since 1995, when the network began to keep formal track, 30,000 persons have graduated the full four-to-six month life skills program.

Narconon Vista Bay in Santa Cruz proclamationNarconon centers worldwide celebrated this birthday in various ways. Many held special graduation events. Narconon Vista Bay in Northern California was presented a proclamation for its outstanding work by Gustavo Gonzalez, a representative of the County Board of Supervisors.

At Narconon Georgia in Atlanta, one of the first persons Benitez helped free from addiction back in Arizona, Gordy Weinand, sat his students down and told them stories from successes he’s known over the last 40 years. Rehab is always personal.

Narconon has had dozens of other accomplishments this year, such as opening its first drug rehab center in Costa Rica. It is doing pioneering work helping rehabs in Sinaloa and Sonora, Mexico to cope with the enormous drug crisis precipitated when drug cartels began warring there. Narconon Nepal in Kathmandu delivered drug education across the entire nation. Vittorio Poti, Mayor of Melendugno, Italy where there is the 100-bed Narconon Gabbiano attended its anniversary. Narconon Ghana celebrated UN Day Against Drugs with drug education events reaching 1000’s of youth. And thousands of addicts achieved stable drug-free lives this year, probably the hardest accomplishment of their lives so far. Their wins are only beginning.

We invite you to learn more about the Narconon program. Or you might like to help by volunteering. Visit www.narconon.org or email us at info@narconon.org

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Narconon International drug education seminar for beleaguered Mexico City parents

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

Narconon International president Clark Carr gave a three and a half hour drug education seminar to 100 parents and college age youth in Mexico City on February 10th, offering key data to explain why youth turn to drugs and also how to combat this perennial risk to youthful wellbeing. A recent national Mexican study of alcohol and other drug use indicated that alcohol is the worst problem, that 27,000,000 Mexicans between 12 and 65 drink, a quarter of those drinking heavily. Marijuana follows as the other gateway drug with abuse of pharmaceuticals from the house and internet also growing alarmingly, paralleling U.S. drug use.

Some parents said that there has been an increase in bullying and other youthful violence mirroring the increase in binge drinking by Mexico City youth.

But the explosion of youthful use of the internet is probably what is driving up the sale and use of pharmaceuticals, just as it is in the U.S. Carr told the parents that before they are going to talk to their children about drugs, they have to be willing to be honest about their own use, not just of the medicine cabinet but of alcohol.

There was lots of back and forth on how to recognize symptoms and the toxic effects of drugs, with the greater concentration on how talk to young people about drugs.

“More important than knowing about each separate drug,” Carr said, “is to know that drugs, including alcohol, are basically toxic and that it’s really the quantity of a drug used that creates its different effects.” Alcohol in moderation is a stimulant, and this is its popular, desirable effect. But the same alcohol used in excess begins to sedate, slow the person down both physically and mentally, and finally too much, too fast can put one into an alcohol coma or kill him. The conversation turned quite lively over whether or not “cerveza” (beer) is toxic. “It’s not that one beer is toxic,” said Carr, “but how much beer, how fast, for how long. Ethyl alcohol is toxic, yes. But the liver can detoxify alcohol when consumed in moderation.

The parents asked Narconon International for further training and drug education sessions in the future. For further information on Narconon drug education visit www.narconon.org.

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Drug Rehabilitation Program Uses Holistic Methods to Help Addiction-Related Symptoms

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

While the majority of addiction treatment programs throughout the country have been using antidepressants and similar drugs to treat depression and other addiction-related symptoms manifested by their enrollees, the Narconon drug rehabilitation program has demonstrated its efficacy in dealing with these problems in a drug-free manner.

According to an article recently published in Newsweek, the number of Americans on antidepressants doubled from about 13.3 million in 1996 to 27 million in 2005. During that period the pharmaceutical marketing machines raked in billions of dollars, yet a researcher in the article was quoted as saying, “The belief that antidepressants can cure depression chemically is simply wrong.”

The researcher, Irving Kirsch, said that his study of both published and unpublished clinical trials of antidepressants found that 82 percent of patients benefit as well from a plecebo, making negligible the difference in taking an antidepressant. In addition, when someone weighs in the long list of toxic side effects from the mind-altering drugs, one could surmise that patients might be better off not taking the drugs in the first place.

Under alcohol and other drug addiction, depression is a natural symptom that most substance abusers feel at some point. This may be the result of the chemical alteration their body endures and the highs and lows associated, or due to the mental anguish and guilt of having committed many harmful acts to themselves and others during the addiction. Either way, they are very real feelings to these people that need to be addressed at source, not chemically camouflaged.

For over four decades, Narconon has been successfully using drug-free methods to deal with the real causes of such symptoms. One important component is to fully detoxify the body by eliminating stored chemical residues that alter its chemical balance. Through a unique and intense physical cleansing process based on research by American author and humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard, program participants are able to flush out old toxins with the aid of healthy, natural supplements, which they need in any case to begin to feel better. These include essential minerals, vitamins and oils.

In addition, Narconon’s responsibility-based approach uses cognitive learning to address behavior. Graduates of the program, whether on antidepressants before or not, do not feel the need to take any such medications after completion.

In the words of one of tens of thousands of Narconon graduates, “Before I came to Narconon, I had all the classic signs of major depression, my doctor wanted to put me on medication. But today I am happy to report I have been drug- and alcohol-free for 10 years and couldn’t ever imagine having to take a drug to try and feel better. I credit that new-found life to Narconon without question.”

For more information on Narconon’s drug-free approach, or to find a program near you, visit www.narconon.org today.

Here, find a video of the history of the Narconon program.

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New Study Reveals A Killer Combination of Abused Substances

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

Substance abuse by itself is bad enough in that it can lead to addiction or arrest. But in some situations, drug abuse leads to sudden death. A study just released by the Institute of Legal Medicine in Seville, Spain, discovered a combination of factors that resulted in death for twenty-one drug abusers. These deaths weren’t caused by drug overdoses – it was the fatal combination of drugs that ended these lives.

The Spanish study set out to determine factors involved in sudden deaths in southwest Spain between 2003 and 2006. Through autopsies and toxicology reports, the study determined that in three percent of sudden deaths, a fatal combination of cocaine, alcohol and tobacco use caused sudden death. Among these cocaine-related deaths, 76 percent had also used alcohol at the time of death, and 81 percent were smokers.

It’s long been known that cocaine places stresses on one’s heart, a fact tragically brought to light when Len Bias, the promising young basketball star, died suddenly after using cocaine in 1986. These days, many substance abusers abuse multiple drugs at the same time. In the U.S., 72 percent of drug-related deaths are caused by poly-drug use.

In the Spanish study, 62 percent of the cocaine-related deaths were associated with cardiovascular (heart) problems. Another 14 percent were associated with cerebrovascular causes (blood vessels in the brain) like strokes or aneurysms.

The Spanish report emphasizes the importance of effective drug rehabilitation. Providing drug addiction treatment is how the Narconon drug and alcohol rehabilitation program has saved lives for four decades. Although traditional drug treatment centers have success rates of 16 percent or less, Narconon rehab centers achieve a 70 percent success rate year after year. Around the world in 120 centers, Narconon drug rehabs help addicts return to stably drug-free and alcohol-free lives, thus preserving them from the damage found in this study.

In addition, Narconon centers and staffs provide drug prevention services for schools and community groups. If you would like more information on Narconon’s drug education, prevention and rehabilitation programs, visit www.narconon.org.

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