Between 1984 and 1994 I’ve been running a drug rehab center called Narconon situated in Amsterdam and later in Zutphen. This program is based on the works of L. Ron Hubbard and applicable parts of Scientology philosophy are used to help drug addicts come off drugs and rehabilitate them as once again valuable members of society. The name Narconon comes from Non-Narcosis as no drugs are used, needed or allowed in course of the rehabilitation program.
My first experience with the Narconon program stems from around 1982 when I worked as a volunteer in Narconon two evenings or so per week mainly helping people in withdrawal. I was amazed about the effectiveness of the simple and humane tools used. The idea I had until then about people going through withdrawal - mainly based on television and news articles and a few observations of addicts I’ve known personally - was that they went through a period of horrible and intolerable pains and hardly anybody ever got through it successfully. This is not necessarily true at all. The worry over withdrawal and making such a big thing of it is, as far as I can see, mainly caused by failure(s) to get through it or be gotten through it by others without much pain. Methadone is not much help in that it prolongs withdrawal and makes it more painful. You fail to get someone off heroin and you then give him methadone - many Dutch addicts use both - and sort of promote that the situation is now under control; this also adds to the idea that coming off drugs would be practically impossible.
I found out many, many times in Narconon that when a person gets the correct help (somebody being there around the clock for the person, actively assisting him or her to keep withdrawal symptoms down to a minimum, if any at all, help keeping attention off the body, give vitamins etc.) most people get through withdrawal with relative ease within a week. Often the major problem being unable to sleep for some time. Often I heard people in withdrawal since the day before comment: “I’m doing all right now, I’ll probably get sick tomorrow” and tell me the same thing again next day and the next day and then tell me they probably wouldn’t be sick after all. And they didn’t. On the other hand, thinking that completing withdrawal successfully is all that is needed to start living a drug free life is kidding yourself. Much more has to be done in most cases to ascertain full rehabilitation and going through withdrawal is but a first (and of course necessary) step.
For more details about the program steps I want to refer you to the Narconon site as there may be all the information you want to know, or you can always send me e-mail. I’ve had a senior government drug rehab expert tell me Narconon is the only center he knew having their drug rehab program with all exact steps for the persons to do fully written down in simple course packs.
To give you an idea though what the program is about: ’(...) drugs tend to throw people out of present time. (...) “Present time” is a very important factor in mental and spiritual sanity and ability. A human being can be stuck in literally thousands of different past moments. His behavior and attitudes are influenced by such past incidents and experiences’ (HCOB 12 May 1980). The major direction of the Narconon is getting the person back into present time and I think herein lies the reason for its success. Mandatory of course is not making the present time environment a threat.
Narconon does this by creating a safe environment in that there are people who really care and know what they’re doing; the former addict is treated friendly and with respect (of course he or she really is expected to follow common sense house rules). Good control is used to get him through the program and the barriers he may encounter and this done without blame. My experience and the point I want to make here is that people who realize addiction is ruining their lives and actually want to do something about it, are likely to make it on the Narconon program and terminatively handle their drug problems.
By my own experience, L. Ron Hubbard has provided a very effective and humane drug rehab technology and I’m proud having been a member of a group applying Scientology successfully in an area where drugs are causing so much trouble for individuals, their families and society in general, seeing to addicts getting rehabilitated into the fine and able persons they were before getting into drugs. I welcome any question or comment you may have.
