Narconon Offers Path to Brighter, Healthier Future
- Global spending on illegal drugs is estimated to exceed $400 billion per year.
- Methamphetamine deaths in the US increased almost sixtyfold between 1999 and 2021.
- The Narconon network has expanded to 31 centers in 16 countries around the world.
- In all, nearly 40,000 individuals have graduated the Narconon program.
Over the span of more than 50 years, Narconon has given tens of thousands of people a new lease on life.
Drug abuse is rising among the younger generation, making drug education, prevention and rehabilitation more important than ever. The UN World Drug Report 2023 estimated that 296 million people between the ages of 15 to 64 used drugs worldwide in 2021, a 23 percent increase over the previous decade. Drugs are becoming deadlier, too. As of 2021, the number of yearly drug-related deaths internationally soared to nearly half a million people. That means someone is dying every minute because of drugs.
Grants from the IAS are making it possible to establish model Narconon centers on every continent on Earth. So far, such centers have opened in Europe, UK, Latin America and most recently Africa. Here are recent successes from some graduates of the Narconon program.
Rita was on an upward path until drug use changed everything. At Narconon Europe, an IAS-sponsored Continental Narconon training and rehabilitation center in Denmark, she got her life back on track: “I was in a loving relationship, planning to get married, and dreams of a bright future were within our reach. The occasional [drug] experimentation soon morphed into an addiction that was to consume my life. Relationships crumbled, ambitions were forgotten and I lost control over my life. During my time at Narconon, I experienced profound changes within me. I rediscovered my patience, the joy of sobriety and the happiness in doing simple things. I felt like a phoenix rising from the ashes, ready to embrace a new life. My graduation was a monumental moment, one that I never thought was possible. Today, I am excited about the future, eager to continue my journey of personal betterment and achieve the goals I’ve set for myself. I am proud of my new life, and the sense of responsibility that has replaced the chaos of my past.”
A father in the UK sought help at Narconon United Kingdom after his drug habit spun out of control. What began with weekend recreational marijuana and alcohol use led to Ecstasy, speed and cocaine abuse, as well as a five-year meth habit. “Drugs made me more isolated as a person. They made me get into many fights and put me into some very dangerous situations. I became a habitual liar and a person who could not be trusted.” After graduating, he had a new life, “My wife has got trust in me again … and my family are extremely proud of what I have accomplished here. My favorite thing about being drug-free now is to think with a clearer mind and not live a life that’s full of lies.” —N.R.
Finally, a graduate from Narconon Arrowhead wrote the following success: “Growing up in Queens, New York, exposed me to a lot of things at a very young age—shootings, robberies, people using and getting high in the streets. I started acting up and breaking rules. I can’t even remember exactly how old I was when I started smoking cigarettes and weed—I was so young. Getting into trouble landed me in a reform school at the age of 13, with no contact with my family or friends. After completing my time, I went back to New York only to go right back to the same people and behavior that landed me there. I started selling weed and experimenting with pills. My life was a revolving door of using and going to rehabs, detox centers and sober living. I went in and out of so many rehab centers, I lost count. I got to the point where I didn’t care if I lived or died. I overdosed in my room three days in a row off the same dope, only for my mother to find me all three times. After coming out of the hospital the third time, my mother told me to pack because she was driving me to the airport—I was being taken to Narconon Arrowhead. I was open to the idea of treatment, but reluctant because treatment had never helped me before. When I arrived at Narconon Arrowhead, I could immediately tell it wasn’t like any other program I had been to before.
“Thanks to the Narconon program, I no longer feel the physical pains I thought I was stuck with for life. I am free from my addiction and the baggage I was carrying around and I have a newfound sense for life. I am overwhelmed by the joy and happiness I feel just by waking up not sick and by being sober. The things I learned at Narconon Arrowhead have given me control of my life and everything around it. It impacted me so much that I decided to join staff at Narconon Arrowhead after graduating in order to help others who are in the same situation I was in. I now have a purpose and a willingness to live life and to help others do the same.” —D.T.
