NEW SOBER LIVES BEGIN WITH HUMANE,
DRUG-FREE WITHDRAWAL FROM ADDICTIVE DRUGS

Family members of an addicted person commonly wish for the addicted person to quit using drugs and get back to a productive, happy life. And those who are addicted often wish the same thing with all their hearts. Even when a workable rehabilitation program is located, a key step in the process is getting the addicted person successfully through the withdrawal process. The more humane the withdrawal process, the higher the likelihood of success. Can a withdrawal be made more humane?

Every drug has its own set of agonizing symptoms experienced when an addict withdraws abruptly from drug use. For example, heroin withdrawal ordinarily results in muscle and bone pain, nausea and vomiting, cold flashes and diarrhea. Withdrawal from marijuana often results in insomnia, loss of appetite, fatigue, anxiety and depression. An addict may become so sick and experience so much pain and distress that staying addicted looks like a much better idea than kicking their habit. And so they revert to drug or alcohol use.

Some programs prescribe a drug such as methadone or one of several newer drugs to prevent the onset of withdrawal symptoms. However, this approach also prevents the addict from being able to eliminate drug use. He or she is still dependent on a chemical substance and is not able to build a new, drug-free life.

The ideal solution would be a withdrawal process that is tolerable and drug-free, that would rebuild the health that was damaged by drug use and poor lifestyle. This type of withdrawal is a feature of the Narconon program available at Narconon Arrowhead, one of the country's leading drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers in Canadian, Oklahoma.

Vitamin and mineral supplements such as a calcium-magnesium drink and frequent doses of multivitamins help sooth the body's reaction to the detoxification. Special relaxing and re-orienting exercises referred to as assists further calm the muscles and the mental stresses of the withdrawal. The end result for most addicts is a tolerable withdrawal.

Statements by former addicts at the end of the withdrawal portion of the Narconon program support the workability of this approach:

"Before coming to Narconon Arrowhead, I have always gone to a program where they gave medicine and all sorts of sleeping medications and that is where I wanted to go, too. Actually making it through withdrawal without any medications is amazing to me." K.B.

"I have battled with my methamphetamine addition for over twenty years, with the last year being out of control. I have tried to get off of the ice myself several times, always failing. The withdrawal I've been through at Narconon was virtually pain-free." S.D.