Improving the Statistics of Recovery

Alternative programs for drug rehabilitation and those with proven results are coming into the light, especially through President Bush's Faith and Community Based initiative and Access to Recovery program.  Much of this push is simply because more traditional methods have not produced sufficient outcomes.

Among the giant well-known treatment centers of this country lies a sleeping giant, called Narconon Arrowhead, that is the center of an international network now operating in 36 countries around the world.  The Narconon program boasts a success rate of approximately 70% of its graduates remaining drug free.  Narconon literally means narcotics-none, or no drugs, and uses the drug-free rehabilitation methodology of American author and humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard.

The program is so successful that other professionals are now starting to turn to Narconon for answers.  One veteran of the field is Bill Jensen, an internationally certified alcohol and drug counselor with his own counseling practice in Idaho.  After completing extensive continuing education courses and training offered through Narconon Arrowhead, he has converted his old program into what is now Narconon Idaho and is getting much better results.  This is but one example out of many.

"Sometimes people need alternative methods of handling a problem," explains Luke Catton, President of Narconon Arrowhead, "And in the case of drug addiction, we've proven for over three decades that our non-traditional approach achieves a much higher standard for most addicts.  Drug addiction doesn't have to be a lifelong battle where you're constantly fighting the cravings and urges to use again."  Catton, a former addict himself, speaks from experience.

In an unfortunate effort to combine resources, many states have merged their mental health and substance abuse agencies into one that oversees both.  The fundamental premise, besides cutting out the possibility of duplicating oversight, is the false idea that drug addiction is a disease, thus falling under the mental health category as being a neurological disorder. 

One of the primary problems with such a combination is that mental health agencies get paid for continuing to treat people with so-called neurological disorder, while the goal of drug rehabilitation is to restore the individual to his former capacity, not having to be "in recovery" for the rest of his life. 

The fictitious mental health approach to substance abuse makes it okay to relapse, saying that it is a part of recovery and that since the addict has a disease, it is expected.  What it is really doing is trying to justify the fact that the modalities don't work, and what little results are obtained often include a substitute drug, an array of medications or attending meetings for years, none of which is restoring the individual to the way he was before he ever started using drugs.

Catton adds passionately, "Our goal is the total eradication of substance abuse.  We would love to put ourselves out of business [by ending drug addiction] and move on to something else.  It is possible, but we as individuals and as nations must agree that it can be done and that we won't settle for ineffective measures."

To find out more about the Narconon program or to get help for a loved one contact Narconon Arrowhead today at 1-800-468-6933 or www.stopaddiction.com.  Drug addiction can be overcome, and it doesn't have to take decades to do so.

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