Drug Substitutions in Drug Rehabs
In the US and Europe, thousands of drug rehabilitation programs use substitute medications for treatment. Methadone has been used for decades and the newer drug is buprenorphine, formulated in drugs brand-named Suboxone and Subutex. These drugs are opioids (drugs chemically similar to opium) that prevent withdrawal symptoms from occurring when heroin or opiate prescription drugs are discontinued.
But they are all addictive drugs and are also drugs of abuse. They do prevent withdrawal sickness, but a person is still addicted to yet another drug. In some European countries, there are even programs that provide heroin addicts with diacetylmorphine—a pharmaceutical grade of heroin. When programs fail to provide recovery from addiction, then the last-ditch effort is to reduce the harm done by opiate addiction.
Pharmaceutical companies are currently hard at work to develop drugs to be used in recovery from stimulants like cocaine, methamphetamine and so-called “study drugs” like Ritalin and Adderall. But why would any of these substitute drugs be needed if a person can actually find lasting recovery from addiction? They wouldn’t be. And the Narconon program is based on that premise.
The Narconon Method of Providing Drug Treatment
The Narconon drug rehab has dozens of centers in on five continents. Instead of simply giving a person substitute drugs as a form of treatment, the focus is on improving life skills and achieving better mental and emotional clarity.
A key component in providing this clarity is the Narconon New Life Detoxification. This is a sauna-based program that uses moderate exercise and generous doses of nutritional supplements to enable a body to flush out residues of drug use that are attracted to the fatty tissues of the body. Given the right support, the body can dislodge these residues. The result is brighter, clearer thinking, an improved outlook on life, and reduced cravings.
While there may be a need for a medically-assisted detox from opiates, benzos or heavy alcohol use, this would be a short-term use of alternative drugs to safely wean a person off the drugs they are addicted to. In these cases, an individual would complete this prior to beginning the Narconon program.
Life Skills Improve One’s Chances of Staying Sober
Following this step, life skills training provides better communication skills, an understanding of how the wrong associates can result in relapse, and the knowledge of how to make a drug-free decision when met by challenging situations. Each person is also helped to work through repairing relationships that were damaged by the years spent addicted. Additional services focus on and help restore one’s personal integrity and self-esteem that were damaged or destroyed by addiction.
The outcome is a person who has the skills to remain sober for the long haul. He or she can return to family and friends and build a new, positive life once again.
If someone you care about is struggling with addiction to illicit drugs, prescription drugs or alcohol, find out how the Narconon program can help put the problems behind them and help create a new, productive life.