A Unique Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Technology – The Narconon Program by Dr. Megan Shields

Megan Shields is a Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Medicine who has been practicing as a medical doctor since 1977 in Los Angeles. She has administered the delivery of L. Ron Hubbard’s Detoxification Program to over three thousand people in the course of her practice. She has also participated in independent scientific studies of the efficacy of the program.

As a physician I am continually faced with patients who have developed serious alcohol and drug problems and who need alcohol and drug rehabilitation.

Taking effective steps to handle the addiction is the only way it will be possible for the patient to return to and maintain a normal life.

One very unique and effective program is the Narconon program which uses a drug-free approach to alcohol and drug rehabilitation.

The Narconon method consists of the following steps:

• A drug-free withdrawal that uses counseling and nutritional supplements to alleviate the discomfort of withdrawal without using more drugs.
• The Narconon New Life Detoxification which consists of sauna, nutritional supplements and exercise done to release from the body the residual drugs that have built up in the fatty tissue of the body. Those residual drugs in the body block successful counseling and cause a variety of symptoms including memory problems, flashbacks and burnout feelings that those who use drugs experience.
• Individual counseling in which those on the program counsel each other, under supervision, through a series of specific counseling steps.
• Life skills courses involving communication, study, happiness and ethics to provide the person with tools to handle situations in life without relying on drugs or alcohol.
• Integrity or ethics counseling, which occurs throughout the program whenever necessary. It is quite common for an individual addicted to alcohol and drugs to lie, cheat, steal and exhibit general dishonesty. For rehabilitation to be successful this must be addressed, and the Narconon program addresses this area fully.

The Narconon Program was researched and developed by American author and philosopher L. Ron Hubbard.

There are a number of very unique and important characteristics of the Narconon Program, starting with the fact that Narconon does not use drugs in the process of alcohol and drug rehabilitation. Trying to treat alcoholics or drug addicts with a drug is considered fundamentally contradictory.

Narconon not only recognizes the residual build up of drugs in the fatty tissue of the body but also utilizes the New Life Detoxification Program to cleanse these residuals from the body. This makes counseling and the rehabilitation process much more effective.

Narconon is a nutritionally based program that uses nutritional supplements, a good diet and exercise to assist the rehabilitation process.

Narconon recognizes the fact that the individual must want to get better or rehabilitate him or herself. You cannot force rehabilitation and what Narconon does is help the person to help himself and also help others in the program.

I have reviewed studies of Narconon’s success which are very impressive.

In Spain and Sweden independent studies showed a 76% to 78% success rate after two years for those who finished the program.

In particular the Swedish study pointed out that those going through the Narconon program were serious or hard-core cases of addiction, many with arrest records and prison experience.

The Narconon Program is supportive of and compatible with the Alcoholics Anonymous 12 step program, but there are some differences in philosophy.

Narconon does not look at alcoholism and drug addiction as an incurable disease that one will have for the rest of his life and must live with, but rather a very difficult problem that one can conquer.

Dr. Megan Shields

The Narconon history.