Posts Tagged ‘narconon’

Narconon Joins Recovery Month Celebrations

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

With a message of lasting recovery, Narconon® drug rehabilitation programs throughout the country participate in the annual observance of National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month in September.

(Los Angeles, CA) - Now in it’s 21st year, the theme for this year’s National Recovery Month is “Now More than Ever,” and Narconon centers coast to coast are gearing up for the annual celebration along with other treatment programs and recovery advocates across America.

The Narconon drug rehabilitation and education program was founded more than four decades ago and now has at least 16 residential and outpatient treatment facilities in the United States and Canada alone, with dozens more worldwide. Again this year thousands of Narconon staff members, program participants, alumni, family members and supporters will continue their observance of Recovery Month with its recurring theme that permanent recovery from addiction is not only possible, but happens every day in its centers.

Past events have included community sponsorships and anniversary celebrations, educational presentations, radio shows talking about recovery, public service announcements for print and broadcast media and even a live webcast of a graduation ceremony.

One of the topics this year has been the devastation caused by the skyrocketing prescription drug addiction problems throughout America. From painkillers to tranquilizers and amphetamines, the latest surge in substance abuse has opened the eyes of millions of people. Showing that dependency and addiction can affect anyone, including unsuspecting patients taking such medications.

Narconon is one of the few programs in the country that does not prescribe more drugs to addicts seeking treatment, and it’s drug-free rehabilitation approach achieves a success rate of better than 70%. The program was was founded by William Benitez and is based on the research and developments of the late American author and humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard.

For more information about Narconon visit www.narconon.org or call 1 800-775-8750. To learn more about National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month and to find events in your area check out www.recoverymonth.gov.

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Narconon Addresses Need for Drug-Free Rehabilitation

Monday, August 23rd, 2010

In an over-medicated society, the Narconon® drug rehabilitation program stands out as a leader in drug-free treatment for addictions with long-term results and permanent sobriety.

Los Angeles, CA - It doesn’t take much searching on the Internet to find stories about the devastation being caused by prescription drug addiction today. According to the latest National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) there are about 6.2 million Americans who are current non-medical users of prescription drugs, many of whom are addicted.

The above statistic shows that despite any medicinal value, many drugs today have a high potential for abuse and all of them have additional side effects. So, when addicts turn to a treatment center for help, prescribing more drugs to them can be detrimental to their recovery. This is one of the reasons why the Narconon drug rehabilitation program is drug-free.

The program was founded in 1966 by a former heroin addict named William Benitez and has not used any type of drug replacement therapy since its inception. Based on research and developments by the late American author and humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard, Narconon incorporates other therapies to help ease withdrawal symptoms, removed stored toxins from the body and rebuild natural health.

Narconon has a recovery rate of more than 70% that has been well documented and its results have fueled worldwide growth to now include over 140 groups and centers in more than 40 countries.

“We have found that more and more people are searching for alternative programs that do not subscribe to the disease concept or give more drugs to addicts,” comments Narconon International Executive Sue Birkenshaw, “An increasing number of individuals and family members want to be able to put addictive substances behind them forever, and that is what Narconon offers.”

With National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month just around the corner in September, this message resonates with many people who have regained control over their lives through Narconon after trying programs that used various types of replacement drugs and pharmacotherapies. Drug-free programs are becoming more mainstream in the light of the prescription drug epidemic our country faces.

To find out more information about Narconon or to locate the facility closest to you visit www.narconon.org or call 1 800-775-8750 today.

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Destruction of Billions of Dollars of Marijuana Fails to Protect Americans from the Threat of Addiction

Monday, August 16th, 2010

In Sequoia National Park, where stately and ancient sequoia trees penetrate the mountaintop mists, law enforcement personnel rappelled in from helicopters or hiked in from roads to search and destroy extensive marijuana farms.

In operations running through July, hundreds of state, county and federal agents swept through three counties to locate the sophisticated plantations. When it was all over, they had eradicated $1.7 billion worth of marijuana plants and harvested product. They had also arrested 97 people, most of them Mexican nationals.

The Fresno County Sheriff tied the marijuana farms to Mexican drug trafficking organizations. Drug cartels have apparently developed these farms so they can get their products to market without having to cross international or state lines.

In the most common pattern, impoverished Mexican nationals are coerced or intimidated into acting as growers in remote regions of the Central Valley foothills or public lands in Washington, Oregon or Idaho. Diverting natural streams for irrigation and spreading toxic fertilizers, these workers tend their crops and guard the valuable plants with guns and booby traps.

What may be even more shocking is that this is not even an isolated incident. In 2009, a similar operation destroyed $1.6 billion in plants and finished product in Fresno County alone.

“Drug cartels are after profit and power,” comments Clark Carr, president of Narconon International, worldwide network of drug rehabilitation and prevention centers. “American drug users’ appetite for marijuana and other Mexican-produced drugs provide the largest demand worldwide. Although attempted and forceful interdiction of the drug trafficking by law enforcement agencies is one important tool to hold back the waves of drugs coming across our borders, drug demand reduction efforts must parallel or, ideally, exceed interdiction. As law enforcement develops better means of detection or interdiction, the cartels shift their operations to keep bringing product to a U.S. market that will pay for it.”

“Nothing effective can be done about demand reduction, many say,” states Carr. “There are even those who claim that marijuana is not addictive. That is a lie. More than a quarter million Americans entered drug rehabilitation facilities in 2007 to get help for addiction to this drug.”

“Emphasizing and providing proven, effective drug rehabilitation and drug education is essential,” continues Carr. “Narconon® drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers around the U.S. and the world provide these services to thousands of addicts and hundreds of thousands of children. Along with the drug demand efforts of so many other organizations, we must demonstrate to national, state, and city governments that the demand for drugs can be reduced. And then farmers can go back to growing food instead of poison for a hungry world.”"

The Narconon drug treatment program takes addicts through eight phases of recovery, from a drug-free withdrawal and a thorough, sauna-based cleansing of drug residuals from the body onward through life skills training in personal integrity and morals. The result is that seven out of ten Narconon graduates are still clean and sober when contacted two years or later after they complete.

Narconon drug prevention, education and rehab centers exist in over 40 countries. For more information call 1 800 775-8750 or visit www.narconon.org

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More People Gaining Access to Narconon Drug Rehab Centers through Insurance Coverage

Monday, August 9th, 2010

Insurance parity for substance abuse benefits help addicts find long-term successful programs such as Narconon

(Los Angeles, CA) - Earlier this year Congress passed a law that increased benefits for millions of people with health insurance to expand coverage for substance abuse benefits. While it was not a sweeping reform, it was a landmark win for those seeking more access to effective drug rehabilitation programs through their insurance policies.

One result of these increased benefits has been that more people throughout the country have been able to use their insurance coverage to attend Narconon® drug treatment facilities, whereas previous to the law their yearly maximums would have hit their limits and forced them to pay out of pocket or wait until the next calendar year to redeem benefits that their premiums would otherwise cover.

Narconon has more than a dozen rehabilitation centers in the Unites States alone, with locations in California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan, Nevada, Oklahoma and Texas. The largest center in the network is Narconon Arrowhead in Oklahoma, which has also spearheaded the acceptance of this non-traditional program gaining national recognition through the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) as well as state licensing and mental health certifications.

Narconon intake and registration personnel throughout the country are encouraged by this expanded access to their individualized, open-ended treatment programs.

“People work hard for their insurance coverage. We routinely hear that it is such a relief that their policies will allow them to attend a program of their choosing,” comments Narconon Arrowhead senior executive Derry Hallmark.

Unlike most traditional programs, a typical course of treatment at a Narconon center can last 3-4 months or longer if necessary. There is no set time limit for the program, which includes drug-free withdrawal, a sauna detoxification process, and life skills courses to raise an individual’s level of responsibility.

To find out more about the Narconon program or to locate a facility near you, visit www.narconon.org or call 1 800- 775-8750 today.

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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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Inmates’ Drug Addictions Cost Taxpayers Millions

Thursday, June 10th, 2010

Narconon programme offers effective tools for drug rehabilitation that could save taxpayers millions of pounds per year

Last week it was revealed in a report released by Policy Exchange that an estimated £44 million of taxpayers’ money is spent “maintaining” opiate addictions for tens of thousands of prisoners in the UK. It is the result of the Integrated Drug Treatment System, which provides drugs such as methadone and buprenorphine to opiate-addicted prison inmates.

Max Chambers, author of the report, is quoted saying, “We need much more focus on abstinence-based treatments that work…”

One such drug-free solution is the Narconon® drug rehabilitation programme, which was actually founded in a U.S Prison in 1966 by then heroin-addicted inmate William Benitez. After studying works authored by humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard, Benitez formed “Narconon” (”no-drugs” or “drug-free”). He first applied those basic principles to get himself fully rehabilitated and then worked with other addicts in the prison to free themselves completely.

The programme created such an impact that Benitez requested of a judge to stay in prison an extra 18 months to help more prisoners get free from drugs and their long-lasting influences. Then, after his release, he and others formed the first residential Narconon drug rehab centre in Los Angeles. The organisation has since grown to become one of the largest rehabilitation networks in the world, with more than 140 centres and groups in over 45 countries.

Here in the UK, Narconon operates a residential treatment centre, Narconon London at Hastings. According to managing director Alison Withey, the facility also has the stated purpose to train others how to use these life-saving rehabilitation methods. Implementing an abstinence-based programme such as Narconon’s could certainly help reduce the need for substitute drugs like methadone or buprenorphine, meanwhile saving taxpayers millions of pounds per year.

For more information on the successful application of the Narconon drug rehabilitation programme in both institutional and residential settings visit Narconon International’s website at www.narconon.org. To find out more about Narconon London at Hastings and Narconon programme successes visit www.drugrehab.co.uk or call 0800 169 4803.

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Narconon drug rehab and prevention directors attend worldwide conference in Dallas, Texas

Tuesday, May 4th, 2010

A Narconon® executive directors’ conference is never your normal corporate get-together. This year’s continued the tradition of fascinating news from exotic places. That Siberia and Egypt, Northern California and Taiwan report area drug abuse problems more in common than not manifests that there is still much to do to reduce alcohol and other drug addiction worldwide.

Siberian drug rehab center directorJust so at the 2010 Narconon Directors Conference recently concluded at the Hilton Hotel in Dallas. Phil Hart, the network’s executive director, welcomed the 100 attendees in English with simultaneous translations whispering into earphones in four languages. One purpose of the conference is to celebrate expansion of centers, regions, and continental networks. For the first year, Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) won a national expansion award, accepted by CIS director Sergei Baskevitch and also the Narconon Krasnoyarsk drug rehab director from the heart of Siberia (Above picture: Director of a Siberian drug rehab center at international Narconon conference). It wasn’t snowfall this year that might have delayed their arrival, but ashfall from the jet stream plume of the exploding Iceland volcano. Fortunately, that abated enough so that all Europeans made their flights.

Conference workshops focused on how best to achieve stably drug-free program graduates: A workshop on L. Ron Hubbard coursework on raising communication skills, another on how to raise the personal ethics code of responsibility of every recovering addict, another on workplace drug education. But the evolving world was mirrored in workshops on website and internet communication strategies.

Mexico drug rehab centers directorsYou can always tell, too, where the going is tough - Narconon is there to help. President Narconon International Clark Carr showed a video of Narconon “First Step” training sessions delivered across western Mexico to drug rehab centers outside the Narconon network, and to prisons, doctors and community leaders, all suffering under the violence of warring drug cartels. Victor Capaceta and Francisco Lozano, directors of a Mazatlan Twelve Step drug rehabilitation center, were presented an award for courage and tenacity in their work with 30 similar centers practicing newly learned Narconon tools in their communities (picture: Mazatlan drug rehab directors and supporters receive award for their courage at Narconon international conference). The Narconon First Step drug withdrawal and relapse prevention includes nutritional help, hands-on pain and anxiety reduction, and distribution of The Way to Happiness, a commonsense guide to better life choices, written by Mr. Hubbard. “Narconon has shown us that an addict can recover, really and truly,” said Victor, “and we are proud to join together as a team to stop the violence, to save lives.” The applause Victor got required no translation at all.

For more information on Narconon methods or Narconon drug rehab and education work in Mexico, please visit www.narconon.org.

More Info about drug withdrawal in Mexico.

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Ecstasy Use Increases Among American Youth

Thursday, April 29th, 2010

According to the latest National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), illicit drug use remained fairly steady for youth ages 12 to 17 in America, with the exception of hallucinogens such as ecstasy.

While statistically it was a minor ecstasy increase, the rise from 2007 to 2008 came after a holding pattern that had followed a sharp decline over the past several years. About 900,000 people over the age of 12 used ecstasy for the first time in 2008, the highest level since 2002.

In 2003, the National Center for Education Statistics wrote that 29 percent of all students in grades 9-12 reported that someone had offered, sold, or given them an illegal drug on school property in the past year.

Narconon® fully recognizes that the availability of drugs at schools continues to be a growing problem. Recently a concerned grandfather wrote to Narconon International regarding drugs at his granddaughter’s school saying, “Because of the seriousness of this problem, I wrote to the governor…explaining the problem and asking for his help. When that letter fell silent with no response or reply, I then knew the problem of ‘NO ONE CARES’ had reached the highest levels.

“Can you help? Can you provide some direction or assistance in stopping the constant daily influence of illegal drugs and substances at public schools on kids that elect to get a good education and remain drug free?”

Yes, Narconon can and is helping. To help combat student use of ecstasy and other drugs, the Narconon drug prevention program offers educational videos for classrooms as well as proven effective live presentations. Narconon drug education presenters reach more than half a million kids around the world face-to-face, live, each year and the videos are used in approximately 7,000 schools throughout the United States.

The full eight-module Narconon drug education curriculum was studied and the results published in the peer-reviewed journal Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention and Policy in 2008. According to the study, youth who received the Narconon drug education curriculum showed reduced drug use compared with controls across all drug categories tested at the six-month follow-up period. The program also produced changes in knowledge, attitudes and perception of risk.

For more information about Narconon drug education and prevention visit www.narconon.org today or call 323-962-2404.


More news and Narconon info:
New club drug article: mephedrone drug

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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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