Narconon

Narconon http://www.narconon.org/ is a branch of the Church of Scientology presenting the teachings of Scientology's founder, L. Ron Hubbard, as a therapy for drug abusers. Narconon operates treatment centers in several cities throughout the United States and Europe.

Per the Narconon website:

The techniques and learning programs help the individual withdraw from current drug use, get into communication with others and the environment, remove the residual drugs from his body, gain control of himself and his environment and reach the point where he can take responsibility, not only for himself, but others as well. The program also addresses and handles the reason why the individual started using drugs in the first place and arms him with the knowledge and certainty he needs to lead a happy, drug-free life.

Narconon's "New Life Program" makes use of secularized variants of several Scientology practices. For instance, both Narconon and Scientology make use of Hubbard's Communications TRs -- a series of training rituals in which a coach drills the aspirant on maintaining impassivity and repeating various phrases. Another Scientology practice used is the Purification Rundown -- a regimen including overdoses of niacin and other vitamins; exercise; and sauna. The Purification Rundown is practiced in Narconon as the "New Life Detoxification Procedure", and held to purge drug residues from the body.

Although it is often confused with Narcotics Anonymous by those unfamiliar with either, Narconon is not a twelve-step program. (Needs detail on the differences)

Disputed Origin Narconon claims to have been founded in 1966 by William Benitez, at the time an inmate at Arizona State Prison serving time for narcotics offenses, and to have organized its first treatment center in 1972. However, an alleged 1972 Scientology document [1] (http://holysmoke.org/narconon/narconon-is-scientology.jpg) holds it to have been founded or operated by the Church of Scientology's "Guardians Office".

Links Information from Narconon and Scientology:

• Narconon's Web site: http://www.narconon.org/
• The Purification Rundown Web site: http://www.purification.org/

Information from persons critical of Narconon and Scientology:

• The Communications TRs: http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Secrets/TR/
• Narconon Exposed: http://www.narconon-exposed.org/
• Operation Clambake Archive on Narconon: http://www.xenu.net/archive/narconon/
• Critical Overview of Narconon: http://wpxx02.toxi.uni-wuerzburg.de/~cowen/essays/narconon/narconon
• Narconon Skeptics' FAQ: http://www.shipbrook.com/jeff/CoS/narconon/faq-skep