Compassion Should Be Included in Recovery

What a Drug Rehab Should Have:
Having Compassion

When someone is trapped in abusing drugs, his overwhelming concern is keeping the drugs coming. He loses his ability to think of others as he is driven by his cravings to find more drugs. As his addiction destroys his morality and perceptions, he loses his life skills.

His daily routine becomes focused only on how he will avoid the crash of withdrawal if he does not get the drugs he needs. His ability to have compassion for others is long gone.

Compassion is One of the Vital Skills to Make Sobriety Last

When the person does decide to go to a rehab program, finding one that will teach him the skills he needs to remain sober after completing rehab may be a challenge. According to the World Health Organization’s guidelines for recovery, compassion is one of these attributes. The ability to empathize or feel compassion for others as well as ourselves is an ability that enables a person to maintain relationships with family and friends. Learning to have compassion for others should help him stay on a sober path long after rehab is over. Without compassion, one’s conscience is silent and it is so much easier to do harm to others.

At Narconon, a Person Can Learn Compassion

In the unique Narconon drug and alcohol rehabilitation program, teaching life skills comprises a significant part of the program. Improved life skills are so vital to recovery that there are five separate training courses on the Narconon rehab program. These courses approach the development of greater compassion and responsibility from several angles, with these courses having a cumulative, synergistic effect.

One of these courses teaches a person in recovery how to recognize the two different types of personalities: social and antisocial. He will learn that there are some associates who will be harmful while others will help one do his best. Knowing their characteristics and how to handle each type of person can help a person in recovery choose better friends and associates for the future.

This skill strengthens him so he can stay sober and also keep him from being overly influenced by destructive people. He can then afford to have compassion as he is not stressed out and confused and can focus on those who truly have others best interests at heart.

By the time he finishes studying the various life skills, he is ready to chart his future, drug-free life. These courses are very effective in helping Narconon graduates learn compassion and stay on a sober path.

Ken Learned Compassion and Recovered at Narconon

Ken was lucky to come to Narconon Arrowhead in Oklahoma in time to save his life. Ken found Narconon when he was finally ready to quit using crack cocaine, cocaine powder, and alcohol. He said he didn’t want to talk to anyone, including his parents or his kids, and his addiction was causing his life to spiral out of control.

After completing the entire Narconon program Ken said, “I feel like a whole new man, a whole new dad, a whole new son.” After he had finished, he said he felt really positive, and he liked “having all the tools that Narconon has given me, so I can go out in the real world and put them to use; knowing that I’ll be able to stay clean this time.”

Ken learned compassion at Narconon and regained long-lasting sobriety with the help of the complete Narconon program.

Next >  Cooperation

Go back to Guidelines on Effective Recovery

Reference:

• Partners in Life Skills Education; Conclusions from a United Nations Inter-Agency Meeting, World Health Organization, Geneva, 1999.