|
Alfonso Paredes, M.D.
 "I wish to present to you my
opinion on Narconon
as a
resource in the rehabilitation
of individuals with Alcohol
and/or Drug dependence.
As a
consultant to the Narconon® program I had the
opportunity to review the program, discuss it with the staff and talk with some
of the patients. I have done this congruent with my professional interest in
medical and social model approaches to addictive behavior. My professional
background covers research and treatment aspects of alcohol and drug
dependence. More than one hundred publications in scientific journals as author
or co-author document my contributions. I also have had administrative research
responsibilities and responsibility for treatment programs at the institutional
and statewide levels. Incidentally, I have done research and have interest in
the cultural aspects of the use of alcohol and Psychoactive substances by the
Indians in the American Southwest and the Tarahumara, a North American
aboriginal group. I am therefore in a position to provide an informed
assessment of Narconon.
The
Narconon program has several features which in my opinion justify the
implementation of the program. An important aspect is the systematic
application of techniques to improve communication and interpersonal skills in
persons dependent on alcohol and/or drugs. The techniques include training in
personal values, integrity and in general cover ethical principles. This aspect
of the program is implemented using methodology developed by L. Ron
Hubbard. This area is, in my opinion, critical in the treatment of persons
afflicted with addictive disorders. Although experts often note that addictive
disorders should not be viewed from a moralistic perspective, a view which is
often misunderstood, there is no question that one of the central problems in
addictive behavior is the restructuring of the normative system of patients
affected by the disorder.
Addicts
characteristically subordinate values such as work, family relationships, and
community responsibilities to the ingestion and unwise use of alcohol and/or
drugs. Social neglect and criminal behavior are frequent companions of drug
abuse and alcoholism. Efforts to develop a functional normative system, as is
done by Narconon, should result in favorable outcomes. Narconon has
demonstrated that this redefinition of the normative system of addicts is
possible to implement with empathy, compassion, and respect for the addict. The
drug-free procedure used by Narconon during alcohol and drug Withdrawal is in
my opinion sound. All patients who participate in the Narconon program are
screened by a physician prior to acceptance in the program. Those individuals
with physical signs of withdrawal symptoms of such severity that they require
medical detoxification or medical conditions in need of care are not accepted
until medical treatment is completed elsewhere. The Narconon program therefore
manages the aspects of withdrawal that respond effectively to supportive and
dietary care. It is well established that only a small proportion of patients
on withdrawal from alcohol and/or drugs require Intervention with therapeutic
drugs or in a medical setting. If this were not the case, alcoholics would
quickly exhaust medical resources available and social detox programs
wouldn’t exist. Narconon’s utilization of nutritional AIDS such as
vitamins and appropriate diet is sound.
Although
some may feel that alcohol and drug Addiction is primarily a medical problem,
close examination does not support this view. Persons are introduced to alcohol
and drugs by peers in social situations, and maintenance of the addiction is
supported by deviant social networks. Furthermore, most medical settings do not
have the resources of experience to address the many psychosocial aspects of
alcohol and Drug abuse. Alternate, health-oriented social intervention
approaches such as Narconon’s, therefore, deserve to be implemented to
widen the availability or resources to address drug problems.
No
specific therapeutic drug has been demonstrated to make behavioral approaches
unnecessary. Furthermore, the medical systems are so taxed with strictly
medical problems that it would be unwise to leave the management of alcohol and
drug abuse to the sole responsibility of the medical system. Other alternatives
such as Twelve Step programs, therapeutic communities, cognitive therapy and
behavioral conditioning have a place in the management of substance abuse
disorders. Narconon in turn constitutes a valuable resource that adds one more
useful option available to the addicts and their families. Last but not least,
I do not see anything in the Narconon program that may place the participants
to this treatment at risk of health problems.
I have
presented some general comments on the merits of the program. If requested, I
will be happy to give more detailed opinions concerning any specific aspect of
the Narconon approach."
Sincerely,
Alfonzo Paredes, M.D. Professor of Psychiatry UCLA School of Medicine
Dr.
Paredes, board certified in Psychiatry and Neurology, graduated the University
of Mexico School of Medicine in 1951, interned at St. Joseph Hospital in Kansas
City, Missouri, and did residencies in Psychiatry at the University of Kansas,
University of Maryland, and University of Oklahoma. He is a member of dozens of
different professional organizations and regularly reviews peer publications in
addition to having contributed more than 100 articles or studies of his
own.
| Definitions of Terms Used |
| AIDS | Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. A condition characterized by a defect in the body's natural immunity to diseases. Individuals who suffer from it are at risk for severe illnesses that are usually not a threat to anyone whose immune system is working properly.
| | Addiction | Strong physiological, emotional and/or psychological dependence on a substance such as alcohol or drugs that has progressed beyond voluntary control. For more on addiction see the section Addiction Information in this website.
| | Alcohol | Refers to ethyl alcohol or ethanol.
| | Drug | Any substance, other than food, that changes the function or structure of the body or mind when ingested. Drugs essentially are poisons. The degree they are taken determines the effect. A small amount acts as a stimulant. A greater amount acts as a sedative. A larger amount acts as a poison and can kill one dead. This is true of any drug. Each has a different amount at which it gives those results.
| | Drug abuse | The use of illegal drugs or the inappropriate use of legal drugs. The repeated use of drugs to produce pleasure, to alleviate stress, or to alter or avoid reality - or all three.
| | Intervention | The act of interrupting addiction and persuading the addict to enter treatment.
| | Narconon | A non-religious, non-profit drug rehabilitation program using technology developed by author L. Ron Hubbard. The Narconon program was originally organized in Arizona State Prison in 1966 by William Benitez, an inmate who was himself a drug addict. He applyed basic principles regarding self awareness and self assurance contained in books by L. Ron Hubbard and, by doing so, completely cured his own addiction to heroin. Mr Benitez then went on to help twenty other inmates do the same. Today there are Narconon centers in 45 countries.
| | Psychoactive | Having a specific effect on the mind.
| | Withdrawal | Symptoms that occur after chronic use of a drug is reduced or stopped.
|
| | ©2005 remository.com |
© 2004 Narconon Interrnational. All rights reserved.
Toll Free: 888-9NO-DRUGS or 888-966-3784
Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking website:
|
Narconon Program 
