Archive for the ‘Drug Information’ Category

Narconon Offers Free Booklet to Help Addicts, Families

Monday, August 2nd, 2010

“Healing Addicted Lives” by Narconon’s Gary W. Smith, CCDC provides insight for what it takes to overcome addiction successfully

Canadian, OK - The debate over whether or not an addiction to drugs and alcohol is a disease has been ongoing for decades. Some treatment experts claim it is an incurable brain disease while others feel that it is a series of reversible symptoms to other underlying problems in life.

Drug rehabilitation expert and Narconon Arrowhead Executive Director Gary W. Smith, CCDC has made available valuable insight for overcoming addiction based on 30 years of research and experience through helping thousands of people permanently recover. The booklet is called “Healing Addicted Lives” and is available to everyone for free.

The booklet includes a thorough explanation of what addiction really is while identifying necessary barriers that must be overcome in order to achieve lasting recovery and a drug-free life. Primary barriers to recovering include cravings, depression and guilt, and the remedies for these are explained in a way that can be understood by anyone.

“Drug rehabilitation does not have to be a revolving door if you take the time and effort to do your research, in most every case, you can have the person you love back in your life by selecting a proven, effective program that addresses all the causes of addiction thoroughly. There is definitely every reason to have hope for the future and hope for a complete recovery.”

Just one of the component parts that make up the Narconon® effective rehabilitation program include a sauna physical detoxification procedure that helps eliminate stored drug residues. This body cleansing process was researched and developed by the late American author and humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard, who dedicated much of his life to helping people free themselves from the trap of drugs. This procedure has been reviewed in several medical journals over the decades.

The balance of the Narconon program is comprised of a series of courses done individually to help increase basic living skills such as the ability to confront and handle situations in life, the ability to communicate effectively, and the ability for a person to take responsibility for himself as well improve his own conditions in life.

To get your free copy of “Healing Addicted Lives” visit http://www.healingaddictedlives.com. For more information on the Narconon Drug Rehabilitation and Education Program or to locate a center near you, go to www.narconon.org or call 1 800-468-6933 today.

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Survey Shows Increase in Treatment for Benzo Addictions

Thursday, June 10th, 2010

National survey reports a 32 percent rise in treatment admissions over a five-year period where tranquilizers were the primary drug of abuse

The devastation of prescription drug addiction is no longer a secret.  From painkillers and stimulants to sedatives and tranquilizers, millions of people are becoming addicted to prescriptions, whether they were first taken as prescribed or not.

The last category of tranquilizers includes drugs called benzodiazepines (benzos), which include brand name prescriptions such as Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin and Valium.  Simultaneous with many of these drugs having been and still being used in some addiction treatment methods, benzos have become one of the most heavily abused prescriptions on the streets today.

Results from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) show that tranquilizers were the primary addiction for about 8,100 people admitted for treatment in 2003.  The number of admissions for tranquilizers jumped to more than 10,700 by 2007, an increase of 32 percent.

Many treatment professionals consider an addiction to benzodiazepines to be one of the more difficult to handle, especially the potentially deadly withdrawal symptoms. It has also been reported that benzos have a "post-withdrawal" effect where persons completely lose touch with reality as their bodies and minds try to adjust to not having the drug.

Something can be done about it. Narconon® drug rehabilitation programs have a component that addresses chronic effects associated with toxic drug residuals. Called the New Life Detoxification Program, this exercise, nutrition, and intensive sweating program has been documented to reduce the body burden of a wide band of toxins. It is the result of the rehabilitation research and developments by late American author and humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard.  Program participants have reported after completion that they "the drugs are no longer talking to them," that they are able to think more clearly. The purpose is to help addicts in recovery to address the reasons underlying why they turned to drugs as solutions in the first place, a formidable task when they had been living, so to speak, in a toxic waste dump.

To find out more information about the Narconon program or to get help for a loved one battling addiction to benzodiazepines or other drugs, visit Narconon International’s website at www.narconon.org or call 1 800-468-6933

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Study Shows Group Associations Affect Alcohol Consumption

Friday, April 16th, 2010

Drinking habits increase or decrease with the company you keep

As reported in HealthDay News, data taken from the 32-year Framingham Heart Study regarding the drinking patterns of more than 12,000 people was examined by researcher Dr. J. Neils Rosenquist and others at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.  The new study showed that the alcohol consumption of individuals has a direct correlation to the people they associate with.

The recent study, appearing in the Annals of Internal Medicine, concludes that people are 50 percent more likely to drink heavily if they have friends or relatives who are considered heavy drinkers.

The article states the researchers also found in general that being surrounded by heavy drinkers increased the reported alcohol consumption by about 70 percent, while being surrounded by abstainers decreased reported alcohol consumption by half.

Many treatment programs warn former addicts to stay away from alcohol-abusing associates, and the Narconon® drug and alcohol rehabilitation program takes this a few steps further by examining characteristics in people that may influence their sobriety, defining their own personal ethics, and applying specific steps to improve their conditions in life.

"Identifying both risk and support factors of groups and other individuals is a key component to permanent recovery," remarks Narconon International president Clark Carr, "Former addicts who associate with people who share their new-found desire for sobriety are much more likely to stay drug-free.  This is one reason why our rehabilitation program helps clients to regain control over themselves and their surrounding environment."

The release of the study coincides with Alcohol Awareness Month, when doctors, researchers, treatment and prevention professionals and other advocates focus on reducing the damage caused to individuals and to society by heavy alcohol consumption.

The U.S. Narconon network participation in this campaign has included Public Service Announcements (PSAs), educational presentations and other awareness measures with its centers across the country.  The highly effective long-term Narconon rehabilitation program uses the drug-free methodology based on research by the late American author and humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard.  The organization now has over 150 centers and groups in more than 40 countries throughout the world.

For more information about Narconon’s involvement in Alcohol Awareness Month or to get help for a loved one in need visit www.narconon.org today.

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Alcohol Awareness Month

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

Narconon draws focus on prevention of alcohol abuse and addiction among adolescents and college students.

April is National Alcohol Awareness Month, situated squarely between spring break partying and the upcoming prom and graduation season. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), youth binge and heavy drinking rates were 8.8 and 2.0 percent, respectively. The rate of binge drinking was 41.0 percent for young adults aged 18 to 25, while heavy drinking was reported by 14.5 percent in that age range.

Additionally, an estimated 7.2 percent of 16 or 17 year olds, 16.7 percent of 18 to 20 year olds, and 26.1 percent of 21 to 25 year olds reported driving under the influence of alcohol in the past year.  Among college students alone, than 2 million drove after drinking in the past year.

If these statistics aren’t alarming enough, then it is the consequences of these actions that should be inspected. Roughly 1,700 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die each year from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including motor vehicle crashes. Nearly 100,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape, and another 1.3 million students are injured unintentionally or through acts of assault by other students, as reported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).

"One of the major influences on our nation’s young people regarding alcohol comes from pop culture and the media," comments Narconon International’s director of drug education Bobby Wiggins, "Many of today’s reality TV shows with young adults contain plenty of on-camera alcohol abuse, which can somewhat legitimize or even idolize that behavior in the eyes of impressionable teenagers. At the very least it sets a poor example."

Narconon® has drug prevention and education programs for students in grade school through college and even for the workplace. Narconon presenters speak to more than 500,000 young people per year internationally.  There are also drug education videos available, one of which focuses on alcohol and the media that are viewed by millions more people each year in the U.S. and abroad.

The Narconon drug education curriculum was studied and the results published in the peer-reviewed journal Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention and Policy in 2008. The study showed that there were significant reductions measured for alcohol, particularly reducing heavy drinking.

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

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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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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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Talk to Kids About Drugs This Holiday Season

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

Is there a simple way to reach kids and get them to turn away from drugs?

Happy Holidays!

The answer is YES. This inexpensive booklet is packed with tips and techniques that parents and caregivers can use to communicate with their young kids or teens to help build an everlasting, trusting relationship.

You can help them to understand what drugs are, why people use drugs, how drugs can stay in the body and how different drugs cause different effects.

There is much to know about drugs and it’s up to the parents to ensure that their children are educated about drugs to help keep them away from drugs.

Who does your kid turn to when there is a problem? See how you can get your kid to turn to you in the time of need and not someone who could lead them to drugs.

This booklet is a must-have for parents raising a young child to help keep them drug-free.

Only $2.25

Buy Now

Talking to Kids About Drugs

Visit Our Online Bookstore

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New Narconon Drug Book Gives Information about Addiction and Recovery

Thursday, November 5th, 2009

Narconon drug book about drug factsNew consumers of cigarettes, alcohol and users of other drugs like marijuana, cocaine heroin and methamphetamines are youth. First use of drugs most often begins before 18 and continues into adulthood.

Parents can help prevent their teens from using drugs by teaching their kid how drugs can affect the body, mind and them personally.

A new Narconon book entitled “DRUGS, How They Affect Your Body, Your Mind and You” has just been published to help parents or anyone understand about drugs and their dangerous effects.

This Narconon book of facts about drugs can enlighten anyone about what an addict may be experiencing and what can be done to handle the drug addiction or give parents information needed to educate their kid about drugs.

Many times the obvious toxic effects that drugs have on the body overshadow or mask the mental effects that are occurring simultaneously making it more difficult to understand what has happened to the mind.

To understand drugs, one must understand what the mind is composed of and how drugs effect the mind, body and you. This Narconon book lays out the facts crucial to understanding these and much more and what can be done to handle the drug addiction.

Drugs effect the mind, body and the individual and his emotions, ambitions, goals, relationships as well as those around him or her.

If you know someone on drugs, you can help them address both the mental and physical effects of drug abuse with proper drug rehabilitation treatment, such as the Narconon program, using nutritional supplements, exercises, sauna baths counseling and life skills which can help them to get their life back and succeed.

To help avoid experiencing a loved one turning to drugs, you can educate them about drugs to ensure they understand the dangers of using drugs so they won’t try drugs.

A lot of false information about drugs can make drugs look safe and fun and can get teens to try drugs so teach your kid about drugs to help keep them away from drugs.


Facts about drugs

Narconon drug book facts

Narconon drug book

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Who’s a drug addict?

Tuesday, August 18th, 2009

Drug addicts are sometimes thought to be unemployed, poor and from the inner city and an addict only if they need to use drugs everyday or if they have withdrawal symptoms from quitting drugs.

Misconceptions like these can lead more people into trying and using drugs or people assuming that there is no way their loved one can be an addict.

The real deal is that there are a lot of drug addicts who appear to be functioning normal and are employed and may not use drugs everyday and so they don’t experience physical withdrawal when they stop using drugs.

If you look around, you can spot the obvious drug addicts in the streets, but if you look even closer in the work place, homes and schools you can probably spot drug addicts here and there if you know the signs and symptoms of drug use.

Below are a few signs of drug use, but shouldn’t always be assumed that someone is using drugs because of these symptoms, but can be further looked into to make the decision. Once you’re sure the person is using drugs, you can make the right approach to help them get off drugs. If you still don’t know if the person is using drugs, but have a feeling, then you should ask them out of love and they may tell you. If the answer is no, then you may want to see if there are some other problems that need to be addressed which lead you to think that they’re using drugs.

Some Signs and Symptoms of Drug Use

  1. Cannot look at you comfortably in the eyes when speaking, being spoken to or approached. This can be a sign of shyness or lack of communication skills
  2. Not dependable. Late to work/school all the time with no progress in showing up on time.
  3. “Not caring” attitude, sad or grumpy. A person could just be like this, but it can also be a hint that there is a prolonged drug use problem.
  4. Doesn’t listen well and has a short attention span. People can have this problem. Kids can be going through a growing phase. You can observe though to determine if there is drug use involved.

There are other signs and symptoms of drug use and they can even be narrowed down to determine which drug is being used. There is a little booklet called Drug Facts that covers these signs and symptoms for alcohol, marijuana, heroin, crack and cocaine, lsd, pcp, crystal meth, oxycontin, inhalants, steroids and ecstasy and it even covers some of the drugs nicknames. It’s packed with useful information and is very inexpensive.

The important thing here is to be alert and aware of sudden changes in behavior patterns and to get that person some help to get off drugs. Drugs can lead to prison or death and a lot of unnecessary heartache.

If you want to get someone off drugs, there is the First Step Program book which has proven itself to be effective in helping people withdrawal from drugs and even alcohol.

Lets hope that you don’t need to withdrawal anyone from drugs. If you don’t need to withdrawal anyone from drugs, then you should look at how to prevent drug use so that you won’t ever have to go through the tragedies that drug use can bring about on a family. There are successful ways to prevent drug use and would be worth looking into.

Drug prevention starts with drug education, so the key is to educate the dangers of drug use and to expose the false information about drugs that society is working hard to promote. Drug education videos are an easy way to educate kids and others about the dangers of drug use.

Give it a try. You have nothing to loose and a chance to prevent drug use and help the world become that much more drug-free!

The only way we’ll achieve a drug-free world is to help get the ones that are on drugs off and to educate others about drugs so that they’ll never use drugs.

Drug addicts need someone to reach out and help them get off drugs and kids need people to give them the truth about drugs to help prevent them from trying drugs.

That means it’s up to the people who care and who can do something about it!

More drug information

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