Hi sekhcollection, thanks so much for posting your story! I have posted a link to it over at the Narconon section of the ReachingForTheTippingpoint forum and website, which educates people on Scientlogy and it's front groups. I volunteer helping victims of Narconon here in the USA and know how hard it must have been to be in such an oppressive environment as Narconon. Kudos for trusting your instincts, getting out, getting your addiction under control and for speaking up about your experiences. This will help many.
Here is the link
http://forum.reachingforthetippingpoint ... 502.0.html

Best wishes,
Mary McConnell
Reaching Forum shortlink: http://reaching4.info

Great story, Sekhcollection. Hopefully someone will google Narconon, trying to find info, and land here.

You said, "They advised me a six month residential treatment founded on behavioral psychology. In those days that was something very new, by now it is obsolete..."

I don't know much about it, but what do you mean by behavioral psychology? Why would it be obsolete? What was it replaced with? Thanks.

@AnonyMary; Glad to be helpful.

@Glib;The eldest discussion in psychology is the nature-versus-nurture debate. Are psychosocial problems like addiction caused by genetical or neurological causes (nature) or by psychological trauma (nurture).
Behavioral psychology is the branch of psychology that says that the cause of certain behavior is not important.
What is important is to learn the skills to change the unwanted behavior. Just learn to say no. Something like that.
Of course we all can use some communication skills, but knowing how to say no doesn't cure the problem. Most addicts know darn well how to say no, they just don't do it.
According to hardcore behaviorists f.i. alcoholics could learn to drink just one or two drinks. We all know how that ends. Drunk.
You cannot control compulsive behavior. Either you use or you don't, when you have an abuse problem.

They know that now. That's why this kind of therapy is obsolete today.
Up-to-date rehab focusses on all aspects of addiction, not just one.

Late in the nineties advanced brain scanning techniques showed significant changes in brain physiology in substance abusers, but also in compulsive gamblers, sex addicts and other weirdo's. But research on identical twins shows that there are more factors than just genetic bad luck.
Science now believes the tendency towards addiction is partly genetic, and partly aquired through bad childhood experiences and peer pressure. Cold have told 'm that much myself.

Therapy that only focusses on the behavioral aspects of addiction didn't turn out to be very effective in the long run. The mainstream in addiction care looks at all the important factors in substance abuse:

-No using of the addictive substance. NONE.
-learning effective communication skills
-learning to take responsibility for your own life
-learning to have pleasure while sober

It almost sounds like a commercial for scientology, doesn't it?

At least there's no space opera involved. Love, Sekh.

Sekh, thanks for your detailed answer. I'm very glad you got better -- no thanks to NarCONon.

That Synanon mess is pretty shocking... I can't believe that could work for anyone. Being treated badly is generally why people use in the first place! The good thing is recovery has evolved and there are many places much better than NarCONon.

Wow, Sekh. I've just read your amazing story. You told it so well. I was so scared you weren't going to get out, even though I knew you must have done! I'm really pleased you did.

Thanks, OW. So am I.