International Narconon Drug Rehab Network Celebrates 48 Years of Saving Lives
(PRWEB) February 19, 2014 -- As the international Narconon network reached nearly five decades of service, the rehab and prevention centers on six continents prepared to celebrate their anniversary. It was on February 19, 1966 that Arizona State Prison inmate William Benitez made the decision to found a drug rehab program based on his study of the written works of American author and humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard. Today, the rehab program that developed out of that decision has grown to more than 100 rehab or prevention centers on six continents around the world.
"We've come such a long way from the early days of that behind-the-bars rehab program with a few dozen students," said Clark Carr, president of Narconon International. "In these forty-eight years, our dedicated staff have graduated more than 40,000 people and maintained a high success rate. I'm very proud of the many recognitions and commendations our program has received from officials and institutions around the world, but it is the persons and families that we have helped that really counts."
In these forty-eight years, Narconon staff and volunteers have reached out to young people and businesses, providing drug education presentations and materials to more than 16 million people. International and domestic recognitions for the drug rehab and prevention efforts of Narconon centers have come from locations as diverse as Nepal, Taiwan, Colombia, Sweden, the Philippines, Italy, Nigeria, and South Africa; and in the US, Oklahoma, California, Connecticut, Hawaii and many other states.
A few of these recognitions can be found here:
Nepal: http://www.narconon.org/history/2009/government-nepal-minister-commends-narconon.html
Italy: http://www.narconon.org/history/2010/narconon-merit-recognized-stella-alpina-verona-italy.html
Oklahoma: http://www.narconon.org/history/2010/narconon-arrowhead-day.html
US Department of the Navy: http://www.narconon.org/history/2008/acknowledgement-letter-department-of-the-navy.html
To personalize Narconon’s long history, Carr cited the story of Kate, a Narconon graduate from Wisconsin, as an example of how a person who had failed at many attempts rehab, but found lasting sobriety after completing the Narconon life skills program.
Through the Narconon rehab program, Kate was able to recover from years of addiction to heroin and pills. Her life had deteriorated to the point that she was forced to live in her car until she could find someone to take her in for the winter. Over the years, she had been to several rehab programs and enrolled in methadone programs but never managed to get stably drug-free.
"This is a phenomenal program," Kate said in a success story she wrote. “Thank God my mother found it at the last minute. She's so glad she sent me here. She's ecstatic."
"This program really did a lot for me," Kate continued. "I was ready just to go back to the methadone clinic. I probably would have still gotten high on other drugs like I did before. I’m sure it would not have lasted. Now I'm a hard worker, I get things done."
Carr concluded, "A success like hers means so much to every staff member and executive of Narconon. We plan to expand our services in 2014 and beyond so we can continue to fight the challenges of drug abuse and addiction wherever they exist planetwide."
For more information on Narconon rehabilitation or prevention, call 1-800-775-8750.
Clark Carr, Narconon International, 323-962-2404, [email protected]
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