Narconon Drug Addiction News

On April 16th, 2009 a brand new addition was made to the Narconon.ca site. It was a bouncing baby blog. One year later, the blog has grown by leaps and bounds and is a place that is visited by not only those seeking help, but those who have already received it.

To date, there are 280 posts on the blog and it is visited by approximately 250 people per day. There are also 250 comments on the blog. The Narconon.ca blog continues to be a happy addition to the website dedicated to helping those who wish to live drug and alcohol free. It proves to be an outlet for expressing thoughts and ideas as well as practical and helpful information. There are stories by those who have been addicted and by loved ones of someone who is addicted. The blog proves that someone with an addiction is not alone. Many people have come through it and gone on to live happier lives.

The blog covers all drugs and alcohol and gives practical information on what the drug or alcohol does to a body and what happens when someone tries to quit. There are also stories from loved ones who have suffered right along with the addict. Some of the stories have happy endings and some are not so happy.

If you haven’t checked out the Narconon.ca blog lately, stop by. Giving a birthday present of your time and attention would be much appreciated, and more than likely, very beneficial to the reader. There is information that most people, whether addicted or not, would find interesting.

More and more stories and useful information is being added on a regular basis. Maybe you could be a contributor too. Narconon is always happy to hear from someone who is living drug free and would like backlinks to their own site. More information is, of course, on the blog.

Our little blog has come a long way in its one year of existence and we hope to see the growth (and health) of not only the blog, but those who read it and contribute to it. Information shared can be of great value to people who are just now going through something. Drug and alcohol addiction cases are rising and Narconon and the Narconon.ca blog are there to help bring those numbers down. Find out the facts about drug and/or alcohol addiction and what the best way is to treat them.

Trois-Rivières, Québec; over a decade has passed since this drug addicted fellow has started to hide his addiction from his loved ones. Taking potent drugs like Oxycontin every day to get high is not something he wanted to share with his wife or his teenage daughter.

Vancouver, Canada; four days into the 2010 Winter Olympic games, the athletes from Canada have won 5 medals, placing their country in the fourth position of the number of medals won, just behind France.

While the Vancouver Olympic games are being played amongst 2600 athletes, attended by over 2.3 million attendees, enjoyed and talked about by many more, there is another type of competition which is going on not only in Vancouver but around the world. This is a battle involving too many participants and to which no one would bother to pay tickets to see – the struggle between substance addiction and drug-free life.

Not unlike an athlete who trains for several years to finally place to compete at the Olympics and achieve the ultimate gold, it takes an unshakeable determination to achieve a drug-free life for a person who is battling drug addiction.

A new proud winner has just celebrated his one year clean victory after having defeated his decade long Oxycontin addiction with the help of the Narconon Program at Trois-Rivières, Canada.  For his one-year drug-free anniversary victory lap, Cliff Van Rossum insisted to fly all the way from Vancouver to attend the weekly Narconon Trois-Rivières graduation. “Wow! One year. It’s been a struggle, I did it though, and I’m sure all of you guys can do the same thing,” Cliff told the students currently enrolled on the drug rehab program. He added, “Today is a big day for me, I wanted to come here for this because it meant so much for me. Narconon has saved my life.”

Narconon Trois-Rivières has prepared a short video featuring Cliff at the podium for his one year clean win and it can be watched by all drug-free life fans and supporters on the youtube channel “narconon3r”.

Many more people are still fighting the battle, but assistance is available to bring about the ultimate victory, just dial 1-877-782-7409.

Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Canada – “Awesome to see those who got me through my own program, and congrats to those there now facing their issues. Happy Holidays Narconon!” commented a viewer of the Narconon Holiday Extravaganza.  With a full audience and people watching over the internet, this particular holiday special turned out to be quite the event.  It had a very festive opening with French Canadian singer Lea Morganne singing, Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree, while being backed up by the Narconon choir.  “The talent that young lady has is incredible and she really started the show off right,” said Marc Bernard the executive director of Narconon Trois-Rivieres.

These live graduations hosted by this Narconon in Canada are done no where else throughout the Narconon network.  “It was great to be able to provide an exciting way for graduates and students of the program to pass along holiday wishes to their loved ones who were watching at home,” commented Bernard.  The holiday season can be tough for individuals who are battling drug and alcohol addiction, and many addicts never really see any hope that sobriety is possible.  The Narconon drug rehab program in Canada plans to continue to broadcast special live graduations a few times a year.

“It was an absolute pleasure to MC the event and be part of a special holiday gift for everybody,” said Marc.  The show ended off quite emotionally with Lea Morganne singing a beautiful rendition of Halleluiah.  The musical talent combined with the inspirational speeches, and of course the graduates, which are the real reason Narconon host graduations, all made this holiday extravaganza something to remember.  To watch the recorded live graduation you can visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRXDTkTCIJ8

© 2009 Narconon Trois-Rivieres. All Rights Reserved.

NARCONON is a trademark and service mark owned by Association for Better Living and Education and is used with its permission.

Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Canada – Once again the Narconon Trois-Rivieres drug and alcohol rehab program will be filming a live graduation for the Internet community, but only this time it’s a Narconon in Canada Holiday Extravaganza.  “This will be a very special live graduation, as we have planned some festive fun and surprises for everybody,” commented Marc Bernard, the executive director of Narconon Trois-Rivieres, who will also be the MC of this holiday special.

The event is scheduled to take place on December 18, 2009 at 4pm EST and will be broadcasted live via the Internet.  There will be some special guest speakers and two musical guests, all of who are volunteering their time to help celebrate a drug free holiday season.  One musical guest in particular is a very talented young French Canadian singer, Lea Morgane, who will be signing a variety of beautiful songs, which are sure to wow the audience.  The first local Narconon choir, whom will add a little something extra to the event, will back up these two musical guests.

“We are very excited about this and truly hope we can spread the joy of the holiday season to all of our students, their families, and loved ones,” said Marc.  This is now Narconon Trois-Rivieres fourth live graduation broadcast and it’s shaping up to be an emotional and joyous holiday celebration.  To tune in and watch the Narconon Live Holiday Extravaganza, you can visit http://www.narconon.ca/live

© 2009 Narconon Trois-Rivières. All Rights Reserved.

NARCONON is a trademark and service mark owned by Association for Better Living and Education and is used with its permission.

Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Canada – “I got into a car accident and they took me out with the Jaws of Life – in the hospital they gave me Tylenol 3, but it wasn’t enough,” stated Cliff Van Rossum in a new video interview with Narconon Trois-Rivieres.  Like many others in his position who became addicted to OxyContin, it typically starts out with some form of injury requiring pain management.  Unfortunately, many of these individuals become physically and psychologically dependent to OxyContin.  “It’s becoming an all to common scenario throughout Canada right now – our Intake Counsellors receive calls everyday from OxyContin addicts looking for ways to get off the drug,” commented Nick Hayes, a certified chemical dependency counsellor with Narconon Trois-Rivieres.  “The typical scenario is a person will require these drugs for pain management, but will ignore the Doctors advice about there addictive potential,” said Hayes.

In this in-depth interview Cliff takes the viewer step by step, beginning at his car accident and going on to how he started to ‘doctor shop’ to acquire his prescriptions for OxyContin.  He describes in great detail the initial high and feeling he got from taking Percocet and how eventually he needed something stronger from his doctor, which was later OxyContin.  “It was a feel good feeling, like something I never experienced before,” stated Cliff in the interview.  Because OxyContin is a time-release formula over twelve hours, most addicts will have to chew, crush up and snort, or inject the drug to get the immediate euphoric effect of the Oxycodone, which is the primary pain reliever in OxyContin.

Cliff is one of the many people today who has successfully beaten a potentially deadly OxyContin addiction and has gone on to live a drug free life.  Today Cliff is now working his full time job, but has created a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center referral website, http://www.substanceabusecounselor.net/ that specifically helps addicts find the right treatment options.  For more information about drug or alcohol addiction, Narconon Trois-Rivieres can be reached at 1-877-782-7409.

© 2009 Narconon Trois-Rivières. All Rights Reserved.

NARCONON is a trademark and service mark owned by Association for Better Living and Education and is used with its permission.

Trois-Rivières, Canada – Drug addiction is quite real and can destroy a person’s life, but it’s not a worthy defense when going up against the legal system. The bottom line is everyone who commits a crime should be held accountable and drug addiction is not an excuse for committing violent crimes. However, should an addict be simply thrown in jail or be rehabilitated as well.

Following the Vital Signs report from Community Foundations of Canada, which stated that Kelowna, BC had the highest violent crime rates out of 16 Canadian cities surveyed in 2008, Kelowna RCMP Supt. Bill Mckinnon called a press conference on October 7, 2009. First he reassured his citizens by saying they had no reason to feel unsafe in their community, second he made the point that it was not enough to simply jail drug users: “Drugs and violent crime tend to go hand in hand when you have situations where people are running up a debt incurred because of their addictions, and they can’t pay it. Often these people need help other than just being put in jail,” McKinnon stated.

Drug court has been a relatively successful system to rehabilitate the nonviolent substance abusing offenders as an alternative of sending them strait to prison. However, what should be done with the addicts who commit violent crimes?

“Without lessening the responsibility of the offenders for their crimes, a drug addict offender should be given the opportunity to do an effective drug rehabilitation program,” stated Nick Hayes, a certified chemical dependency counselor and representative of Narconon Trois-Rivières. He added, “It is no secret that drug addiction leads to desperate acts. Thus it’s worthwhile for the society, not to mention the family and the individual, to rehabilitate a drug or alcohol addict as most of the crimes committed in our cities are related to drug addiction.”

© 2009 Narconon Trois-Rivières. All Rights Reserved.
NARCONON is a trademark and service mark owned by Association for Better Living and Education and is used with its permission.

Trois-Rivières, Canada – In recent years, calls made by teenagers to poison control centers in some areas have as much as tripled, indicating a serious problem with prescription drug abuse. This is according to a study that was published in Pediatrics. As the increase of prescription drug abuse rises amongst teens the prescription drugs of choice amongst them are the stimulant drugs used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The drugs used to treat ADHD are divided into two types – methylphenidates and amphetamines, both being addictive drugs.

While studies show that calls made by teens to poison control centers have been on the rise the actual calls made by teens to poison control centers for ADHD type drugs has risen as much as 75%, which indicated a cause for alarm and a serious problem of abuse amongst teens. Also reported, is the number of prescriptions written for ADHD medications have risen as much as 85% in recent years, which increases the availability of the drugs amongst teens.

Prescription drug abuse amongst teens is rising in epidemic proportions, with ADHD medications being at the top of the list of preferred teen prescription drug use. The drug abuse of ADHD medications is attributed to the fact that it’s so easily accessible.

“Unfortunately, more and more adults who are finding themselves battling drug addiction normally started in their teens by taking prescription drugs, or low level street drugs,” commented Nick Hayes a certified chemical dependency counselor at the Narconon rehab center Trois-Rivières. “While no one wants to have a drug addiction problem, there is help available to overcome addiction with a purely natural approach, no matter what is the nature of the drug addiction,” added Hayes.

© 2009 Narconon Trois-Rivières. All Rights Reserved. NARCONON is a trademark and service mark owned by Association for Better Living and Education and is used with its permission.

Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Canada – Across North America the month of September is known as National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery month, with activities throughout the United States and Canada to raise awareness and celebrate recovery.

Narconon LIVE Graduation

This year the program celebrated 20 years of raising awareness of the benefits of alcohol and drug treatment programs while organizing events across the country to deliver the message that substance abuse recovery is possible.

Recovery month is a time not only to celebrate the success stories of those who have recovered from drug and alcohol addiction, but also those currently in recovery to overcome substance abuse.

Recovery month is also used as a time to raise awareness on the misery of drug and alcohol addiction, and serves to educate the public on the benefits of the treatment options available throughout recovery centers.

Substance abuse is something that can strike any family regardless of their social status or economic situation. Recovery from addiction to drugs or alcohol is possible, and recovery month serves to educate those affected by addiction by sharing information on how treatment facilities operate and how help is available for those who want to overcome their addiction.

“Once an addict is willing to change their life, recovery can be achieved with great results. This is made very obvious to anyone attending our weekly graduation,” said Nick Hayes, a representative of the drug rehab center Narconon Trois-Rivières located in Quebec, Canada. This last Friday, September 25th, to commemorate National Recovery Month, this center broadcasted their weekly graduation live on the Internet. “This was our 3rd live broadcast,” added Mr. Hayes. “People watching these graduations see for themselves what recovery from addiction is all about – it’s always very exciting.” Live broadcast on the Internet was recorded and can be watched at http://narconon.ca/live_graduation.htm.

Drug and alcohol addiction is a real problem in our society, but help and recovery are possible thanks to the professional staff in so many drug rehab centers across North America.

© 2009 Narconon Trois-Rivières. All Rights Reserved.
NARCONON is a trademark and service mark owned by Association for Better Living and Education and is used with its permission

Trois-Rivières, Canada. The importance of a healthy diet rich in vitamins and nutrients has always been important, but now research shows there could be a link between drug addiction and nutrient deficiencies.   Per Carolyn Reuben, a Sacramento, California nutrition expert, the human body can react to certain vitamin and nutrient deficiencies in a manner that can ultimately lead to mood disorders and/or addiction.  She and other nutritionists blame the lack of natural foods for animals such as cows, which decreases the Omega 3 fatty acids found in the animals, passing on the deficiency to humans as part of the problem.

Researchers believe they can determine which amino acids are missing from a persons diet based on the particular problem they are having, adding them back to the diet and decreasing the chances of addiction.

An example of this process would be that if a persons body is producing low levels of dopamine, the body’s ‘feel good’ hormone, the result could be that the person could engage in compulsive behavior, such as drug or alcohol abuse in order to find relief.  Correcting the problem and raising the natural levels of dopamine could be as simple as adding particular amino acids and nutrients to the persons diet.

Almost 25 years ago, similar research done by CSU Stanislaus Professor Stephen Schoenthler, PhD, revealed a link with high sugar and low vitamin consumption levels being associated with violence.  The research also revealed that when given vitamin and mineral supplements, the violence rates amongst those tested dropped as much as 43%, which led researchers to begin exploring the association between nutrition and addiction.

“Balanced nutrition and proper intake of vitamins and minerals are key elements of the successful Narconon drug rehab program,” said Nick Hayes, a representative of Narconon Trois-Rivières. “Drugs deplete vitamins and minerals within the addicts body and these should be replaced and maintained in order for him or her to successfully lead a drug-free life,” added Hayes.

For more information on how to help a drug or alcohol addict you can call 1-877-782-7409 or visit this web page: http://addicthelp.org/addict-help/helping-a-drug-addict/

© 2009. Narconon Trois-Rivières. All rights reserved. Narconon and the Narconon logo are trademarks and service marks owned by the Association for Better Living and Education International and are used with its permission.

A Calgary man, said to be addicted to the powerful painkiller Oxycontin was recently given an 8 1/2  year sentence after being convicted for committing a string of robberies involving eight pharmacies in a span of several months. The convicted man blamed his drug addiction to the powerful drug Oxycontin for the reason he committed the crimes.

The man became addicted to Oxycontin after being prescribed the drug after being in a car crash more than ten years earlier. As with many with drug addiction problems the man turned to crime, in this case robbing pharmacies in order to be able to feed his addiction. The man and his accomplice turned themselves in only to be released on bail and continue with the crime spree, threatening violence to anyone who did not cooperate in handing over the drug. The court system is not allowing drug addiction to be used as a plea for defense in committing the crime.

“Drug addiction often finds the drug abuser turning to crime in order to fill the desperation they are feeling when needing their next fix,” stated Mr. Nick Hayes, a representative of the effective drug rehab center Narconon Trois-Rivières. “Thankfully, there is help available for those who want to end the cycle of drug abuse and start a new clean and sober life. Over the years, we have successfully helped many people from Alberta to overcome their drug and alcohol addiction,” added Mr. Hayes.

For more information about the program Narconon, visit their website at http://narconon.ab.ca/ or call 1-877-782-7409.

© 2009 Narconon Trois-Rivières. All Rights Reserved. NARCONON is a trademark and service mark owned by Association for Better Living and Education and is used with its permission.