"Narconon has a program that works! I know, I did it...it saved my life." -Kirstie Alley, Actress

Emmy Award winning actress, Kirstie Alley, has taken a stand against substance abuse in an effort to stop children from ever experimenting with and becoming addicted to alcohol and other drugs. Fifteen years ago Kirstie Alley successfully conquered her own dependence to cocaine through the Narconon Program. Today she is Narconon's International Spokesperson. As Narconon's International Spokesperson, she has taken a very strong stance against drugs and their spread across society. "Through my own experience with Narconon," she said, "I know it is possible to end any dependency upon alcohol and other drugs and to build a new, successful drug-free life for oneself. Addiction need not be a one-way street of no return. Drugs are a hell that our children do not need to go through." Kirstie Alley takes special pride in presenting the Narconon Drug Free Hero awards each year. The Drug Free Hero Awards pay special tribute to people whose lives are shining examples of selfless dedication and service to their fellow man, people who work ceaselessly to make the dream of a drug-free America a real future possibility. Kirstie presented the 1994 awards and spoke of the "Bad Guys" who make drug addicts of children. Still tearful over the death of rock star Kurt Cobain, she quoted a People magazine report that Cobain, who committed suicide, had been a bright and active child who liked to sing Beatles tunes, until he was labeled "hyperactive" and put on the controversial drug Ritalin. He was then given sedatives to counter the side effects. "They set him up for drug addiction when he was in kindergarten" Alley said. "We are the good guys," Alley told the audience of anti-drug leaders and celebrities attending the awards ceremony. "If we band together, the bad guys who push drugs in the name of help will burn away." "Through my own experience with Narconon, I know it is possible to end any dependency upon alcohol and other drugs and to build a new, successful drug-free life for oneself." Kirstie Alley

Success and the Narconon Program

The Narconon Program has one of the highest success rates in the field of drug rehabilitation, with outside studies showing 75% of the graduates going on to lead stable, ethical, productive drug-free lives. These results are hard earned by the students, addressing many factors of one's life, both physical and mental.

It is this success that has led to the large expansion of the Narconon network over the past 36 years.

Drug Addiction

Individuals seeking treatment for a loved one with a chronic drug addiction problem should be educated on the subject of drug addiction. The following information was compiled to fulfill this need. We hope you find it helpful.

To truly understand the type of treatment that is appropriate for individuals with a chronic drug addiction problem it is important to understand the mechanisms that are at work. Drug addiction could be defined as; a constant and unrelenting effort to obtain drugs in order to alter the feelings and perceptions of the person using them. Another facet of drug addiction is; the brain adapts to the presence of drugs and make adjustments accordingly. Because of these chemical changes in the brain due to the constant use of drugs, when a drug abuser attempts to halt their drug use the brain signals the individual that the drug is needed. This is a major cause of drug cravings. All drug abusers experience drug cravings for some period of time after ceasing drug use, that is a basic fact. This phenomenon will diminish over time as brain function returns to normal. Drug addiction typically involves habitual routines in the environmental scope of the individual i.e. the locations they use drugs, the people they hang out with, etc. In other words drug addiction is not just drug use, it also revolves around people and things in their immediate environment which help to reinforce the addictive behavior. The individual's proximity & routines therein are what help to hold their addiction in place. It is the constant negative activities of their day to day life that perpetuates the problem and inhibits the native desire to stop ruining their life through the use of drugs.

Treatment Obstacles

The above factors should not be over looked when considering a treatment center location. The first 2 weeks of treatment are always the most difficult. There are a lot of mechanisms at work to make this so. In addition to what has been covered above, a more basic factor is; people are creatures of habit. Changes in a persons life even when they are overwhelmingly positive & beneficial, does not guarantee the individual will have no thoughts of missing past negative activities such as, drugs, drug acquaintances and drug activities. Believe it or not this is the normal reactive auto response of most human beings; to do what they are familiar with good or bad. It is not really that they miss these things, it is just all that they have known for some time. Due to these factors, attending a drug rehab close to home is seldom the correct treatment option for chronic drug abusers. It is extremely therapeutic to be distanced from the people they used drugs with, drug dealers, and the surroundings that can continue to stimulate their past addictive behaviors.

Long Term Treatment

For individuals with a severe drug addiction problem, choosing a long term inpatient drug rehab program may be another significant key to a successful outcome.

By providing a new, safe environment, distanced from their past friends and familiar surroundings for an extended period of time, the chance for success increases dramatically.

Our program provides people with positive circumstances to increase their chances for a successful recovery. The vast majority of students entering our program, around (88%), are from out of state or from other countries.

There are many benefits to attending ; here are just a few:

• Narconon is fully licensed & certified by the state.
  
• We are a long term inpatient treatment program. All students can stay as long as they need to. In general the length of the program is about 2 to 5 months.
  
• Our success rate of 76% is the highest in the industry.
  
• We do not use psychiatric medications as part of our treatment philosophy.
  
• Drug Detox, if necessary, is provided by a local hospital.
  
• Individuals have access to a medical doctor 24 hours a day.
  
• We are leaders in the field of drug addiction recovery. Our program has been helping individuals recover from drug addiction for over three decades.
  
• Our program not only addresses the students drug addiction but also improves the individuals ability to identify and solve problems, improve communication and study skills.
  
• Our program also helps to restore personal ethics regarding their responsibility toward their family and others in general.
  
• The Narconon New Life Detoxification Program eliminates accumulated drug residuals from the body through an all natural regimen of vitamins, exercise and sauna thereby reducing the risk of future drug cravings and relapse due to left over drugs in the body.
  
• We provide individuals with a safe environment to overcome drug and alcohol addiction and rehabilitate their native sense of goodness.

Copyright © 2004 All rights reserved.

NARCONON and the Narconon logo are trademarks and service marks owned by Association for Better Living and Education, International and used with its permission. Some drug information on this site courtesy of The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

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