Like other addictive prescription drugs, Oxycontin is able to short-circuit an individual’s survival system. It artificially stimulates the pleasure areas in the brain without giving any beneficial effects to the body. As this happens, it leads to addiction as an individual gains more confidence in the drugs and less confidence in the normal and natural rewards of life.

There are a number of different ways to help oxycodone addicts that also deal with the sometimes severe withdrawal symptoms that accompanies the stop of drug use:

• One of the option include medications such as methadone and LAAM (levo-alpha-acetyl-methadol); however this approach often leads the addict to become dependant to another substance and defeats the whole purpose of living a drug-free life.
• There are proven natural approaches, such as the one used by the Narconon rehab centers, where the withdrawal is dealth with nutritional supplements and exercise to reduce any craving pains and upsets to a minimum to give the recovering addict the oportunity to truely become drug-free.

It is important that the detoxification from any drugs be supervised by professional withdrawal specialists. This is more so important with Oxycontin as if this is not done with the proper care the severe withdrawal symptoms can easily lead addicts back to using the drug because they may believe that it is better to be addicted than to suffer through withdrawal.

Once detoxification is completed, the recovering addict and the addiction specialist must work together to determine which course of treatment would best suit the needs of the patient.

Rapid detoxification is the most recent treatment process into the field of oxycontin addiction. This process treats the dependency at the receptor level, blocking opioid receptors and precipitates and controls the withdrawal syndrome. This is done through the use of medications, including anesthesia which allows withdrawal to occur while the patient is unconscious. For this reason, rapid detoxification to treat oxycontin addiction should only be done in an intensive care unit of a hospital as procedures that require anesthesia should be performed in a safe and well-monitored environment.

As for the question if help is possible for oxycontin addicts – yes it is.

For those going through treatment for oxycontin addiction, it is important that you understand drug rehabilitation can be a long and hard process and that you need to be careful as to which rehab or treatment you choose; holistic and natural rehabilitation seem to be the most effective for long term recovery. However the decisions you make and a strong will is what start you on the road of recovery and will ultimately lead you to a drug-free and happy life.

Is good to know that this kind of treatment really helps!

That means, over some period of time patients get addicted to those substances leaving the actual drugs to which they were addicted. However, not all such substances will give negative results. Treatments involving Subutox Detox is an example for that and in this article I will explain about such substances.

“The medical term used to refer Subutox is Buprenorphine and is one of the FDA approved medicated formulations for the treatment of drug addictions such as Opioids.“

This is the first medicated substance among other Opioid partial agonist medicated substances to receive such approval. The unique and effective properties of Buprenorphine are the reasons behind the success of Subutex Detox. These substances take place the human organs with strong power that are affected by the misused drugs and thus block the external opioids from entering. They make good use of the already present substances in reducing the cravings for the drugs and so significantly help in reducing the painful withdrawal symptoms.

* What are the properties that are making the Subutex detox work efficiently in helping the people to come out from the drug addiction?

As said above this is the Opioid partial agonist medicated substance. There are three kinds of drugs when classified how they react in the presence of Opioids. The first one are the Opioid Agonists, when used, activate the already present drugs on the Neurons. Repeated usage of these drugs makes the persons more dependent and less tolerable on them. Heroin and Methadone are part of Opioid Agonists. On the contrary there are Opioid Antagonists, which completely block such substances. Naltrexone and Naloxone fall under this category.

The properties of Buprenorphine make it fall under Opioid partial agonist medicated substances which also block the drugs but not as extremely as Opioid Antagonists do. However, increasing the dosage of Opioid partial agonist medicated pills such as Subutex never make the person get addicted to this. This is the reason behind the success of Subutex Detox.

The first step involved in recovering an addicted person is Detox; it is a long term recovery program which might take some 6 to 14 days or even more depending upon the condition of the addict. The detox centers present inside the hospitals for inpatient treatment and even residential treatment centers are available. The detox centers mainly concentrate on 3 models for this recovery purpose. The 3 models used are medical, social and rapid detox models. Let us see in detail how these models help in recovery.

If you still have many questions, pick up the phone and call the helpline today!

* The Medical Detox Model is for those who are severely addicted to substances and the addict have a really bad health condition.

Few of them might be having some health disorders or they might be prescribed to approach medical treatments. For this kind of person, a medical model is the best one. The Medical Detox Model is done under reputed physicians and medical staffs. This method is apt for people who have severe urge towards the consumption of alcohols and drugs. Some people are addicted to illegal drugs and few are addicted to legal drugs or “prescription drugs” that normally are prescribed by the physician.

The Medical Detox Model is required for both legal and illegal drugs. Medication is the best method that is being taught by the medical staff which helps in reducing the pain and the discomfort that is caused by non-usage of the drug. It helps in removing effects like vomiting, body pain and tremors. It also helps in bringing the toxic substances from the body. Methadone and Naltrexone are few medications that are used in detox methods and the various treatments that follow.

* Social Detox Method is the best for people who are just addicted to the consumption of drug and alcohol.

These people do not have high dependency on alcohol or drugs and also do not possess a long history of dependency on drugs. They can be treated with out the usage of detox drugs that are normally used in the case of medical method. This social model does not support any physicians or medical staffs, it believes in a healthy and supportive environment with people who are positive minded and who can suggest various ideas in getting out of the habit.

* The Rapid Detox Model is especially for those who are in extreme conditions.

Special medications are needed for them and they require extremely talented physicians and medical staffs for their treatment.

It is best to look into different facilities and find more information about which one would offer the best treatment and recovery program for yourself, your friend or your love one.

* * * If you still don’t know what to do, call the phone number in this site and get the help you need today! * * *

These effects are very hard on the body, and it is dangerous to stop the drug use at once. Medical Detox helps the addict to safely detox from the drugs while making your attain the same pleasures got from drugs.

Most recoveries begin with Detoxification which clears the body of the toxins accumulated during the period of drug use. Once the physical addiction has been addressed, the process of mental and emotional healing can begin.

Some drugs, like heroin and other opiates, narcotic prescription painkillers such as Hydrocodone, Oxycontin, Lortab, Vicodin, and Xanax, combined with alcohol can cause an overwhelming physical dependence. Consequently, extremely painful withdrawal symptoms are experienced when drug use is stopped.

These symptoms can range in severity, and include everything from intense cravings, shaking, sweating, nausea, vomiting, hallucinations, headaches, diarrhea, abdominal cramping, inability to sleep, seizures, anxiety, depression, confusion, and agitation.

The process of Medical Detox seeks to lessen the severity of these symptoms by weaning the body from the addictive substance and simultaneously providing relief from the symptoms associated with withdrawal.

* * * Medical Detox is accomplished under the supervision of a doctor or other qualified medical professional, in Detox centres. * * *

Depending on the drug the body is being weaned from and the length and amount of its consumption, the detox program can vary. In cases where the withdrawal symptoms are less severe, a medical detox program may consist solely of providing medications to ease the discomfort of the symptoms, such as anti-nausea drugs, anti-anxiety drugs, and anti-depressants. In more severe cases, such as severe addictions to heroin, prescription painkillers, or other narcotics, decreasing doses of a drug similar to the addictive substance are also administered, effectively tapering the amount consumed and thus weaning the body from the addictive drug over time, without the painful side effects caused by stopping use at the height of physical addiction.

* On average, Medical Detox takes one to four weeks.

Regardless of the particular method used, Medical Detox can be a tremendous asset to the recovery process because it seeks to minimize the pain and discomfort of detox, and thus decreases the desire to keep using, that often ends up defeating the recovery before it can even really begin. There is a program suited to the unique needs of every individual.

* Therefore Detox Centers are of prime importance to drug addicts.*

You may have heard of it, or of a friend who’s been there.

People may even have told you that you need to go to one, but what exactly is a drug or alcohol rehab? What do they do and how do they do it?

Drug or alcohol rehab is a global name given to the processes used to aid in the treatment of dependency on psychoactive substances including alcohol, prescription drugs, and “street” or illicit drugs such as cocaine, heroin or amphetamines.

A drug or alcohol rehab center will help to find yourself again, get help today!

“A rehabilitation clinic or ‘rehab‘ is a center specifically designed for the purpose of assisting people with the difficult task of putting an end to behaviors they find are negatively impacting their lives.“

Because drugs and alcohol change a person’s mental capacity and therefore their personality, albeit temporarily, these two substances can very easily be the reason behind persons negative behavioral changes and therefore the use of them must be stopped before any real behavioral changes can be made.

* If a drug user or alcoholic wants to stop, a drug or alcohol rehab center would offer him/her the support, guidance and knowledge to help him/her along the way to a better and more fulfilling lifestyle. *

Drug and alcohol centers are different in many ways, including approach to patient, activities and structure of day, but most often even the two most unlike rehab centers will most likely incorporate the following elements into their treatment program:

* Detoxification – this is the name given to the period where the patient has stopped using drugs and is now ridding his/her system of them. Some rehab centers offer medical assistance for this process and some advocate the use of exercise.

* Behavioral modification – this is a process whereby therapeutic sessions with probing analysis of the patients behavior are coupled with techniques proven to help change or curb impulse behavior.

* Group sessions – where users and addicts share stories and discuss scenarios are used to discover the underlying emotional and/or psychological reasons or triggers behind the self-destructive behavior.

Specific to the case (but not uncommon) is the practice of bringing close friends and family of the patient into the center for moral and emotional support as well as to act as a barometer of the level of success of the patients’ journey into recovery.

“In synopsis, alcohol and drug rehabilitation centers are institutions with the sole purpose of aiding and guiding an individual away from alcohol and/or drugs and towards a more productive and enjoyable lifestyle.“

Alcohol is a drug; it is just in liquid form. While there is a chance, albeit small, that no harm would come from it, chances are an alcohol addiction would be formed. If the former drug addict thinks back to Detox and considers if that is something they may have to do again for alcohol, the answer will probably be no.

There is always help available to those who are tempted by drugs or alcohol.

* One away from drugs in any form, it is best to stay away from them. Alcohol is just as addictive as any other drug. In fact, many drug addicts are also alcoholics. Alcohol is a chemical that alters the brain and changes a person’s way of thinking, habits and behavior. Having one drink can lead to two, then three and so on. * Addiction to alcohol is no less dangerous than a drug addiction.

* Those who have been addicted to drugs would be better off leaving alcohol alone.

No one can predict what will happen but it is tempting fate. Just like any other drug, an addict usually tries some, thinking no harm will come from it. Also like other drugs, it soon spirals out of control and they are an alcoholic. That means starting back from square one and getting help.

If there is a strong temptation to drink alcohol, chances are stress is behind it (just like the drugs) and the individual needs to find out the cause of the stress. * Alcohol will not solve the problem. * Alcohol addiction is just as likely as any other drug addiction. Especially since the individual has had addiction problems in the past, drinking alcohol is like playing with a loaded gun.

“ There is always help available to those who are tempted by drugs or alcohol and the best time to get that help is before the problem exists “

Talking to a friend, a counselor or someone at a rehab center before taking that drink may just make walking away from it a bit easier. If a loved one has had an addiction problem in the past and is now drinking alcohol, seek help and don’t be afraid to confront your loved one. Most people just don’t think of alcohol as a drug and that is exactly what it is. Once addicted, Detox and rehab are needed to overcome it.

It is quite hard to overcome the addiction of cocaine since once taken into the body it circulates throughout the bloodstream causing serious cravings and anxiety. Statistics show that cocaine addiction recovery is in between 3% to 76%. This depends upon the cocaine addiction treatment chosen.

People choose cocaine, albeit very expensive, because its effect is immediate, extra pleasurable, and brief. It has intense and short-lived euphoria that makes users have unusual energy, but also stay awake and not get hungry. The psychological effects of cocaine include a feeling of well-being, power, and ability.

Cocaine addiction treatment and detox centers use unique methods of treating cocaine.

* Cocaine addiction can occur in a very short period of time and be extremely difficult to break.

Laboratory studies show that animals will work quite hard from one injection of cocaine, and prefer cocaine to food and water. This is exactly what happens to cocaine addicts. They can do anything to get cocaine and continually take it even when it has grave consequences in their jobs, relationship, or even studies.

Cocaine addiction treatment methods available today include the two-week detox, 21 or 28 day 12 step model in which the individual is subjected into detox. Thereafter he or she is taken to group therapy rehabilitation to reverse the addiction. The success rate is greater if the addict does detox when off the cocaine and then visits a long term cocaine addiction treatment center.

Cocaine addiction treatment centers are spread all over the world and produce very fine results. There are varieties that one can choose from depending on the length of time. They range between two weeks to two years. The success rate of this method is 3% to 75%.

Cocaine addiction treatment and detox centers use unique methods of treating cocaine addiction. Its main purpose is usually to address the biophysical addiction followed by the mental addiction. A sauna detox is applied and it removes residues from the addict’s body to end the irresistible cravings. A cognitive life skills therapy is then applied to enable the person to live a drug free life.

There are various principles that are applicable to cocaine addiction treatment. They include:

• No single treatment can be said to be effective for everyone.
• Treatment should be readily available.
• For treatment to be effective it should attend to the various needs of the addict.

* * * Prevention is better than a cure. It is wise to prevent cocaine addiction than to cure it. That’s a decision of the wise. * * *

While it is an important step, it is far from being the only one. Short term rehabilitation centers focus on detoxification and normally, the twelve-step program. With all due respect, 98% of those who follow the twelve step program fail. Once an addict fails at an attempt to quit the addiction, there is often a feeling of guilt or failure that accompanies it. Therefore, the more failed attempts the person makes, the worse they are going to feel about going to rehab, so many of them just stop going.

A new way of thinking is needed to succeed at drug rehabilitation.

* Detoxification and therapy are very important parts of beating addiction.

From that point, however, leaving an addict in their old environment is often the worse thing that can happen. Once an addict is detoxified, therapy should be ongoing. Besides that, the addict needs to learn not only to be free of drugs but to live free of drugs. Being free of drugs should become a way of life before they go back to their normal lives. Even then, sometimes it takes more than one attempt but after long-term or residential treatment, it usually takes less to get back into step.

* Many people have the ability to Detox themselves.

What most addicts need help with however is learning new ways. A new way of thinking is needed to succeed at drug rehabilitation. Most short term facilities just do not offer that. They do serve a purpose but do not follow through on many aspects of healing that the addict needs. The drug addict needs to learn to heal the mind, body and soul. Short term drug rehabs do not have the time or facilities to do that except on a once or twice a week basis. The rest of the addicts time is spent in their old world and old ways which normally leads right back to the addiction.

* More than rehab is needed for total healing.

A complete treatment center, preferably residential, offers complete healing for the addict. It is important to check out all possibilities and also check out the policies of any rehab or treatment center you are considering. Long term help usually results in long term results. “What a standard rehab cannot offer, a treatment center often can“.

– And How Narconon Helped Salvage The Scene And Brought New Hope…

Before he fell into that dark chasm of drug addiction, John Vereecke had a life many of us would envy: A successful career, a six-figure income, great social standing, a loving wife and two beautiful children.

He had it all – and lost it all.

In this interview he candidly recounts how his life crashed after he started using drugs. Within a shockingly short time he descended from the corporate boardroom to walking the streets, begging people for money to survive and “picking up cigarette butts off the sidewalk.”

Most importantly he also tells of his personal experience with Narconon, the most effective drug rehabilitation program available, and how it made it possible for him to recover his family and, in short, get his life back.

Why did you choose the Narconon Program?

I did the Narconon program because I was addicted to cocaine and because the program is drug free. My wife discovered the program for me as she knew it would suit my needs:

As a youth I was adopted and the lady who became my mother was basically a pill popper since the 1960s. She knew that with anything that was pharmaceutically-related, in terms of an addiction rehabilitation program, within a couple of hours the addict would be on antidepressants or some other drug. She knew this because she was a very bad abuser of pharmaceutical drugs and from her I’ve always had a stigma against that. So when my wife was looking for a rehab, she was looking for something that was drug free. That was Narconon.

How and why did you start using drugs?

I was abused as a kid and had a lot of misfortune. I had some fortune as well, but the bottom line is that I had a lot of emotional scars from my childhood. As I got older, I got out of the small Ontario town that I lived in and became educated into being a professional investment advisor. That’s something that I always wanted to help people with. I became very affluent in that field because I was successful.

In saying that, the situation which led me down a bad road was the fact that I had children and this was very rough for me, because I did not really know how to be a dad. I have two children, an eight-year old daughter and a five-year old son. My life was not going well and I wanted an escape from reality, so I started using drugs and became addicted to cocaine.

I wanted an escape from reality, ...so I became addicted to cocaine

What effects did the drugs have on your life?

Eventually the biophysical aspect of the drugs took over and I went from using cocaine for recreational purposes and at work to using the drug five, six times a week. The relationship with my wife deteriorated to the point where we could no longer function together. She kicked me out of the house, we separated and I got an apartment. It all just went downhill from there.

I went on the wrong side of the “tracks.” The next thing you know I met some people who were smoking cocaine, and I started smoking it, and then that was pretty much it. I think I spent about $65,000 on drugs in about four months. I went from making well over $100,000 a year, working four hours a day, to where I’d lost pretty much everything in a matter of four and a half months. One day I was affluent (I didn’t really have any debts) then all of a sudden creditors were calling off the hook. Luckily for my family, my wife had gotten whatever assets I had, including our home, out of my name so we wouldn’t lose everything.

Within an eight-month period I was picking up cigarette butts off the sidewalk. I went from being affluent to someone who was down and out, living on the streets. I was part of a street culture. That culture “took care of me” which is to say it used me to get what it needed, which was drugs. I lost about 55 pounds and things were getting worse, so I just reached out. My wife said that if I was really serious about it, she’d discovered Narconon and I could do the program right away.

What happened when you arrived at Narconon?

I went to Narconon in Trois-Rivieres (Three Rivers), Quebec but I left in the middle of the night. While I was in the middle of withdrawal I just took off. It was winter and 30 degrees below zero and I was wearing sneakers and a spring jacket and I was just going to try and head for the highway, which I

John standing outside the sauna in the Detoxification facility he opened

had no idea where it was. Luckily Narconon had people roaming the streets for me and I was walking the streets trying to get out of Trois-Rivieres. Finally, after an hour of walking I realized that if I continued I’d probably die. I started walking back and they saw me and picked me up. So I went back and started doing the program.

What I was really afraid of was to confront the “demons” and “skeletons” I had in my closet, so to speak. Let’s face it, when someone has a substance abuse problem, the fact is that they are trying to escape reality by using the drugs, because they don’t want to confront their underlying core issues. So when you’re in a place where you have no other choice than to confront those, some people will do anything, say anything, use any creative strategy to “wiggle” out of that situation. That was me: I was calling my wife complaining about my situation, etc. Then one day I just left again, right in the middle of the program, took a bus out of the city and was home, in Hamilton, Ontario about 12 hours later doing crack.

My wife then said “That’s it!” but left the money at the program, hoping that in the end I would see the light of day and go back. So for about eight months starting in February 2003, I was back on the streets living a really low life. It was degrading because I was at the bottom of the barrel as far as society was concerned, that’s how powerful the drug itself was.

Losing everything that was positive in my life really had a bad effect on me, because I knew I couldn’t go back to my community and my family and the rest because everything I built over a 10-year period was destroyed. So I was continuing down that negative spiral or road which eventually was going to kill me or put me in jail.

Yet you returned and completed the program; what was the turning point?

By October 2003, I was a “Y” in the middle of the road that was my life. I was given an “opportunity” to go out west and set up two grow operations of marihuana, and I knew that if I went down that road that would be the end for me. I would lose the likelihood of seeing my kids and so forth. I had hit absolute bottom and I remember very distinctly being downtown on the streets, yelling and screaming at 2:00am in the morning, freaking out thinking “This is insane! I can’t believe I’ve come to this!”

That’s when I called my wife at about 3:00am or 4:00am but she never picked up the phone. I would not call her very often, maybe once every two months, just to check on the kids or whatever. My wife had previously researched and found my biological mother as I never really had a family. So I called her instead, as my wife wanted nothing to do with me (and understandably so). I asked my mother to call my wife and let her know that I couldn’t go on with that life any longer; I need to get help and wanted to know if that “ticket” was still available at Narconon.

She spoke with my wife and called me back and said yes, it was, and that my wife wanted me to call her at her office. I did that and my wife said “’I’m not taking any crap this time, either you’re in or you’re out.” She set up a meeting at a variety store and gave me a window of five minutes: If I wasn’t there she would drive away and I was to never call her again. I told her not to worry because I was very serious this time. I was there 10 minutes early with my bag, and she said I looked like an alley cat that had been beaten up bad. I pretty much had only the clothes on my back during all those months, and I had lost a lot of weight and was very unhealthy.

So I returned to Narconon but I didn’t fight the system this time because I knew I had to go through it. If I didn’t, I was done for. My only choices were to go out west to get involved with drugs and die, or go through the program. The path of least resistance was to go out west but instead I chose to do the right thing, because I did it for my kids and everything else, not even knowing or caring if the relationship with my wife would ever be back to where it had been. The point was just to save my life and be a father for my kids.

When did you realize that the Narconon program could really make a difference?

It was funny because on Day 15, while I was in the sauna going through the Narconon Detoxification Program, high as a kite (because the drugs were coming out of my system), I was suddenly struck by the power and effectiveness of the whole program.

From that point forward I knew what my new mission was in life. I couldn’t go back to what I had been doing because my credibility was shot within the investment industry as well as in the community. I realized that I had a new purpose, which was to tell people about this program, because if it did that for me, it could do it for others.

Can you share some of your experiences with Narconon?

The sauna (Detoxification Program) gave me the presence of mind of being in present time, instead of being stuck in the past. In this way I was able to deal with those underlying core issues that led me to drug use.

My intelligence went up significantly, my eyesight and thinking improved and I just felt better overall.

At the end I experienced an epiphany, almost like a spiritual enlightenment, when I actually finished the Detox Program and obtained what they call the “end phenomenon.” It was an epiphany in the sense that I knew then that I had really broken free from the chain of drugs. I knew that my body was clean and that I could really focus and be rid of the temptation of doing drugs and the cravings of doing drugs any further. At that point in time I was ready to deal with the underlying core issues.

That is where they taught me the tools necessary to deal with those underlying issues, confront those “demons” in the so-called “closet” and deal with them one at a time. By doing that, ultimately instead of the images of being abused as a kid being directly “over my head” as very strong images, the tools “threw them across the room” and they were just pictures. These images no longer had the effect on me that they did previously. I’ll never forget the situations that I had to go through but now I have dealt with them.

From what you saw, how is Narconon different than other alternatives?

The secret is not only just talking about it – I went to see psychiatrists for about four or five years and, if could use an analogy, as soon as I would just

Images on John's Natural Detoxification Sauna Center

talk about it, it would be like popping a pimple and it would just “ooze” out for days thereafter. My emotions were up and down dramatically and I was just a total wreck for days. My family would walk around on egg shells not knowing who they would be dealing with at any given moment.

So what they did at the Narconon program was, instead of just talking about – you do talk about it – but you also write it down and it’s there in black and white. You can take an idea and turn it and twist it in your mind a thousand different ways, but if you write it down it’s right there in black and white. It’s simple, very manageable and very understandable. It is easy to contain and say “this is what the situation is.” From there you can read it and understand it because it has mass. You can see it more for what it really is. Then from there you can “give it away” to the person you are working with (and it is treated quite confidentially). This is an enormous relief.

By doing this process it gives one the ability to confront those underlying core issues. It gave me the opportunity to understand more who I am and what I had to go through. The bottom line is that it eliminated the shame and the guilt and the blaming of me and of why I had to go through what I did. In essence the guilt was no longer mine and I didn’t beat myself up about it any longer. Ultimately I realized that the predator that had victimized me was the issue here and not me. I wasn’t to blame so I stopped blaming myself.

Would it be fair to say that at Narconon you learned valuable life skills?

Definitely! Even though I was a well educated, bright individual before that through my working years, I still did not have the necessary life skills, because of all the old baggage.

So once I dealt with the underlying core issues, Narconon gave me the tools necessary to build a life in which I can use a systematic method to analyze all aspects of my life. That way I can stay on track. Ultimately if you spend too much time going to the gym or playing hockey, all the other areas of your life are going to suffer. You have to know how to analyze any aspect of your life like your family, your community, your society, yourself, your friends – all areas – and be able to balance everything. With these tools I am able to keep all areas of my life under control so that I don’t start to deteriorate in any one area.

When you start to decline in any aspect of your life, other areas start to get worse, all the good things. If you’re focusing too much on yourself, you will suffer in other areas and eventually even you will suffer – even though you’ve been focusing strictly on you. For me this is one reason why I opened up a Detox center. By helping people it would help keep me on the straight and narrow and from doing what I had been doing.

What else did you learn through Narconon?

Another thing I learned is that you have to have goals, a plan and objectives and you need to follow through on them. I told my wife that although I couldn’t go too fast, as I was re-integrating myself into society, I also needed to stay busy. So I started with small little goals towards my overall objective, which was to open this Detox center. I did this on a daily basis, while being able to spend time with my kids. This was really huge for me.

Fortunately my wife also took me back and we’ve fallen back in love and we’ve been together now for 14 years all in all. My wife came from a conservative good family, which I did not. And while I was doing drugs I put her through hell. Yet I could not be where I am today without her. I’m very fortunate that she could look at me and see through everything, and see the person that she fell in love with and now she’s reaping the rewards, like I am. More importantly, my kids now have a sound foundation and can grow up in a setting similar to what my wife had when she was growing up (as opposed to how I was brought up).

I also learned that I had to change my environment, and this included the people I had been hanging around with, some of which might be described as “antisocial.” This caused great improvement in the quality of my life.

Tell us about the Detox centre you opened…

The Detox center really came fast and furious. I built the center from the ground up, including the sauna. I went to New York City with my wife and visited a Detox program there. I became a member of the Academy of International Detoxification Specialists, etc. I’ve also met a lot of heavy players within the industry including a huge amount of doctors and scientists from all over the world. These things gave my wife and me the motivation to move forward. I had already done a lot of research and knew that there were many people addicted that needed help. So we started.

Since then life has been getting better and better. For example, I sent a letter to everyone I could find with my last name and found my biological father and he’d always been dying to meet me. So now I have a huge family with three brothers and my grandfather who’s still alive at 82 years old. Now we see each other at least every other week with my father and overall it’s just unbelievable.

It is amazing: If you create and do things that are positive, then everything that’s positive comes to you. I feel very fortunate that everything has fallen in line. And I have had a lot of accolades from a many different people that have seen me come through the Narconon program. I feel like I have just scratched the surface, there’s so much more yet to do. The best part is that the journey has just begun.

I also work with someone out of Montreal as part of a referral network, and I help people from across North America to get placed in Narconon programs. This is fantastic because of my background in sales, marketing and finance. I have a drug past as well and have been through the Narconon program so I have a many advantages in being able to really help people.

What success have you had with your center?

It has been significant: On average, I am saving two to three lives per week by getting them to different rehab programs. That is really gratifying. I’ve probably saved between 50 and 60 people since I’ve started. So it’s a two-pronged approach: With the milder cases, I can handle them here at the Detox, and with the heavier ones I just refer to different Narconon programs throughout North America. It is a win-win situation for everybody. It’s really allowed me to leverage what tools I’ve built being in Detox, and those that the people I work with already have in place.

It’s become a real passion for me. I did it initially for “selfish” reasons just to keep myself straight, but now I have a real passion to help people. And I don’t look at the monetary gains of it; my perspective is to save lives. This is what really helps me to keep going. When I think with it in terms of the number of lives I save per week, it’s like “that’s not enough.” It keeps me “hungry” and moving forward and talking with as many people as I can.

At the same time, the tools I have from Narconon have allowed me to focus and make sure I have a well balanced life. This whole industry can just eat you up because there are just that many people out there that need help. It can totally consume you. Because of Narconon I can deal with it.

Do you receive many requests for help?

We certainly do: I personally handle anywhere from 200 to 300 calls per week. Even if some callers don’t have the financial resources to do a rehab program, we have a number of resources to help them as well. Of course a major reason why I refer people to the Narconon program is the success rate which is more than 70 per cent.

Typically what happens is:

1. Someone has some underlying core issues that are negatively affecting them
2. They can’t handle these or they can’t deal with them
3. So they need an escape which is typically alcohol or drugs
4. As time goes by they have still not confronted those key issues so they continue to escalate the drugs, moving to more potent ones
5. They also get into drug binges, which may last several days, and don’t eat properly so this affects their health
6. The drugs also lodge into the fatty tissues of the body (such as cocaine which is very water soluble) and with the metabolic changes in the body, drug residues are released back into the body and this is what causes the cravings
7. Now the drugs have taken over from a biophysical standpoint.

What the Narconon program does is it reverses the process: First it deals with the biophysical aspects by getting all the drugs out of you. Then from there it deals with the underlying core issues so that the former drug user doesn’t ever have to escape reality again. After this you fully respect and love who you are, what you can do and what you can accomplish in your life. So there is no more need for drugs.

Where do you see yourself going from here?

I was recently qualified to open a full Narconon centre and was approved to open up a new facility here in Ontario. It has been a fun ride, but I want to put in place a rehab that can help people on a larger scale. I see myself having one large centre or two smaller ones. By putting some key people in place I will be able to oversee everything – which is different than just working in the trenches. In this area there are a lot of people that need help as there are many drug users (crack cocaine, heroin and so on). With a team, I can help more people.

oOOo

Narconon Drug Rehab:

Why treat a drug addiction, with more drugs? Narconon has developed a unique biophysical, 100% drug-free drug rehab and treatment program. Narconon works. The majority of our graduates have gone on to live balanced, stable lives, but most importantly, a drug-free life. The Narconon Detoxification program is designed for many different types of drug addictions, and is a proven effective drug rehab program, with a proven 70% success rate.

Narconon Trois Rivieres Drug Rehab Center

Narconon Trois-Rivieres is located in the beautiful distraction free environment of Trois-Rivieres, Quebec in Canada and is part of the Narconon network which consists of over 100 drug rehab, drug prevention and education centers the world over. Our rehab centers and programs produce graduates, the majority of whom have demonstrated that they can live stable, ethical and productive drug-free lives. Not only does Narconon provide an unmatched drug detoxification and rehabilitation program, but our endeavors extend beyond our own facilities and into the root of society’s drug awareness problems: We address them by educating hundreds of thousands of people each year with live presentations, educational publications and written materials, as well as many organized events to bring the truth to many more. In this manner we work to reduce and eliminate drug addiction and abuse.

Narconon’s unfaltering objective: Drug-free people who are valuable, contributing members of society, resulting in a drug-free and crime-free area. For more information fill in the drug rehab help form or call 1-877-782-7409