Expert: Peter L. - 2/3/2010

Question
My husband has been a drug addict for the past 29 years.  His drug of choice is crack.  He started using drugs at the age of 13, was clean from age 19 thru 34.  At age 34 he started using again and hasn't stopped (he is now 50).  He tried a 12 step program but he couldn't make it work for him.  After looking into the Narconon program he decided to give it a try which he started today.  Their approach makes sense to us and feel this is his last hope to beat this. What are your thoughts about the Narconon program?

Answer
Hi Cheryl,


Thanks for your question.  Well, I'm sure your husband is feeling the pressure to achieve abstinence from substance abuse as he is getting older. Our bodies and minds are not so tolerant of addictive behavior as we get older.  Young people have much more resiliency, and consequently may be harder to motivate.

Narconon strikes me as an independent treatment program not at least partially funded by state or local monies.  I don't have much experience with these programs, but know that they can be more experimental in what they do, as they have no accountability to these funding sources.  I don't know this for certain about Narconon, but their approach does appear quite unconventional, which may be a good thing.  We don't implement a lot of techniques and approaches in our field that may have promise, because we don't know how or if these will be supported by our payers.

I like that Narconon stresses a nutritional approach, as part of an overall wellness philosophy of addiction treatment.  I've had a long held belief that we must look at our client's diets (usually terrible) and the need for vitamin supplements.  I am preparing a presentation this spring to explore these holistic methods.  

Most important of all in predicting success of any addiction treatment is motivation.  Someone has to be absolutely sick of the addictive behavior lifestyle and all the turmoil it brings.  He must also develop an appreciation for substance-free living, which initially may not deliver the rewards as rapidly as one would expect.  Fortunately your husband has a good sense about what substance free living is like, as he managed it for many years.  Yet, he has another 16 years of use to contend with.  He will feel the stress as his body adapts to being substance-free.  An alcoholic or addict, in effect, trains their system over years to accept substances (a system that is not intended to be so monkeyed around with that way) so it takes a while for it to revert back to normal functioning.  Better nutrition can only help in the process.

I would say that if he is not successful via this program, he should not abandon treatment.  There are many options our there for him to pursue.  If he doesn't like AA he can try Smart Recovery. smartrecovery.org   Maybe a cognitive-behavioral themed approach is more to his liking.

I with you both best of luck!

Peter