Archive for March, 2010

Alcohol: The Real Gateway

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

Alcohol It’s not only the most abused substance in America but also leads to the use of other drugs

In the week before Alcohol Awareness Month in April, the Narconon® Drug Rehabilitation and Education program reminds people that alcohol is probably the most dangerous substance in America  According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), about 6% (7.1 million) of people age 12 or older who drank alcohol in the past month also reported using an illicit drug within 2 hours of their last drink of alcohol.

The latest report also showed that more than 17 million Americans were considered heavy drinkers. Of the estimated 22 million people who were classified with substance dependence or abuse in the past year, 15 million were dependent on or abused alcohol but not illicit drugs and another 3 million were dependent on or abused both alcohol and illicit drugs.  In other words, alcohol is involved in more than 80 percent of all substance abuse in the country.

Many people are under the influence of alcohol at the time they decide to use an illicit drug and many addicts who relapse back to street drugs do so after having consumed alcohol, although exact statistics have not been calculated.  The reason for this behavior is that alcohol not only lowers inhibitions but also greatly reduces the ability to think rationally.

"If we can help prevent alcohol abuse among young people," comments Narconon International’s director of drug education Bobby Wiggins, "then we know that we have a very strong possibility of keeping them away from illicit drugs as well."

Recently, alcohol use among youth aged 12-17 showed a decline in binge and heavy drinking by lowering from 9.7 percent to 8.8 percent in one  year.

Narconon’s drug prevention program includes a curriculum consisting of 8 modules of presentations and videos along with lesson plans for teachers.  Its effectiveness was studied and published in the journal Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention and Policy in 2008. The study showed that there were significant reductions measured for alcohol.

For more information about Narconon drug education and prevention visit www.narconon.org today.

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If Crystal Meth Is the Drug of Choice, Drug Rehab Is Not an Option, It’s a Necessity

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

Addiction is heartbreaking. Are we prepared to get our children to rehab if they need it?

A friend of mine proudly told me his two teenage boys promised him they will never try a drug. With an office in the middle of Hollywood, my friend is all too aware of tragic incidents of youngsters dropping dead during a concert from use of “club” drugs, used singly or in combination.

We both strongly agree it is different from the drug scene we knew as kids. Drugs are much more potent. It is often not possible to know what is in the drug being offered. There is also that small detail that some combinations are instantly fatal. My friend’s viewpoint, which he has apparently successfully instilled in his two boys, is there can’t be a first time.

When it comes to crystal meth, hope they never start. Besides being highly addictive, methamphetamine is a highly physically erosive drug. It can turn a beautiful young woman into an aged hag in a matter of a few years. Any grandchildren, if there is hope for this, are at severe risk if the parents are crystal meth users. There have been incidents where “speed freaks,” as they are commonly referred to have rolled over on top of a sleeping toddler without being aware of it smothering their own child to death.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) reports there is direct correlation between meth use and risky sex leading to HIV/AIDs as well as criminal behavior. In short, this is a true killer drug and action needs to be fast before tragedy strikes.
The good news is that meth users can be helped to get over their addiction when supported by family members. The better news is that the Narconon program for decades has been successfully helping families get their loved ones off meth and out of the destructive spiral they have entered. It is the only program that addresses the cravings and ends them forever.

Thousands of people have successfully completed Narconon’s drug rehabilitation programs and, unlike many other alcohol and drug treatment methods, the vast majority of graduates go on to live stable, ethical, productive, drug-free lives. The Narconon success rate is four times better than the international averages.

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Science Tells Us Genes Can Hinder Successful Drug Rehab – So Now What Are We Supposed to Do?

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

Is a person’s genetic makeup capable of preventing successful drug rehab?

According to reports from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), when there is drug addiction, between 40 and 60 percent of the person’s vulnerability to the condition is genetic. 

The way I see it, we all have genes and we all know that we can’t do squat about what they do when we pass them on to our progeny.  That makes it rather pointless for parents to worry about what part genes play in drug addiction. 

A better question is does such a premise offer anything constructive to an addict trying to kick the habit?  Putting myself in the addict’s place, do I really care whether my genes are causing my craving?  My conclusion is that whether this scientific information is accurate, it is useless.

The concept that genes rule the game has some small advantage if a family wants to blame the fact of addiction in their children on something other than their own example.  I personally grew up in a family where my mother’s father was a drunk, but she never drank, and I don’t think I was exposed to intoxicants until entering that wonderful rebellious culture of teenagedom.  But for the sake of the addicted person, if there is even a smattering of evidence that one’s genes dictate life choices, we are wise to reject this idea.    

And that evidence is abundant.  It has been demonstrated time after time that any individual who sincerely wants to end his cravings for drugs and alcohol can do it with some help.  The Narconon® program has been helping addicts end their cravings for drugs for more than four decades. 

Drugs are seductive and can get a very strong hold on the user that seems to defy any effort to break it.  It can seem inherent in the personality of the addict, something that comes from deep within, immutable.  My advice is to let Narconon do battle with your son or daughter’s drug cravings and your child will be able to leave them behind – genes or no genes. 

Thousands of people have successfully completed Narconon’s drug rehabilitation programs and, unlike many other alcohol and drug treatment methods, the vast majority of graduates go on to live stable, ethical, productive, drug-free lives. The Narconon success rate is four times better than the international averages.
   

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Securing successful drug rehab isn’t an option when a family member is hooked. It is a necessity!

Thursday, March 11th, 2010

When someone in your family is taking a dangerous drug, your role is no longer support of drug prevention efforts. You need to act fast.

A recent daunting report from NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse), estimates that abuse and addiction still cost the American public upwards of half a trillion dollars a year.  Despite reported success with drug prevention, which has dropped the drug use by young adults from 19.4 percent in 2001 to 14.9 percent in 2006, many families still have to face the need to seek intervention to help a loved one.

Drugs do destroy people’s lives, figuratively and literally.  Take the Southern California wife of a talented musician.  She experienced the death of her husband in front of her eyes from a cocaine overdose.  She knew he had a serious cocaine addiction, but she did not act quite fast enough.  More tragic, at the time of his death, her husband was on the verge of going into a drug rehab program.

Ultimately, if the problem is substance abuse, the only answer is getting the addict into rehab before tragedy strikes.  If this is your situation, your only thought must be to get the addict to stop taking drugs before it is too late.

There are two questions left unanswered that can delay many intended interventions: Can anything really be done to end the drug cravings?  And will my loved one reject my help?

The simple answer to the first question is Yes.  If someone you know is addicted to drugs or alcohol, introduce them to the Narconon® program It has a 40 year track record handling addicts’ cravings for drugs so they can live lives free of urges to revert.     

To answer the second one, there is this.  Every wife, husband, parent needs to know that when addicts can begin to believe that life could be drug free, even if there are still doubts, most will try for it.          

It may seem only drugs are important to an addict.  But look closer – there is a life to be lived that is flickering.  Getting your son or daughter or other family member to a truly successful drug rehab program will resuscitate that life.  There are four decades of families who know this is true, because they have seen it for themselves. Don’t wait until it is too late.

Thousands of people have successfully completed Narconon’s drug rehabilitation program and, unlike many other alcohol and drug treatment methods, the vast majority of graduates go on to live stable, ethical, productive, drug-free lives.

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