Narconon Drug Prevention and Education Commended at LAPD Awards Lunch
After thirteen years of providing drug education services to Southern California youth, Narconon Drug Prevention and Education was singled out as the only civilian group to receive a commendation from the Mission Division of the Los Angeles Police Department.
At the Odyssey Restaurant in Granada Hills on May 2, 2103, officers, sergeants, detectives and clerks from the Mission Division were awarded for their dedication, leadership and contributions to community safety. At the end of these awards, Commander Sharon Papa called up Sigal Adini and Tony Bylsma from this Narconon organization and thanked them for presenting drug education lectures to more than 400,000 youth over the years.
Commander Papa told the audience, “Substance abuse brings harm to every individual in every community whether they use drugs or not. Narconon staff have been effective and persistent in raising public awareness, understanding, and commitment to dealing with this serious problem”
In addition to offering drug education classes, Narconon Drug Prevention and Education has worked hard to show youth that they can have fun without using drugs or alcohol. In December 2012, the organization sponsored more than 100 runners in the Say No to Drugs race that took place on the back lot of Universal Studios.
Then in March 2013, eight runners were recruited, sponsored and trained for the LA Marathon. “These young people learned valuable lessons about setting a goal, practicing skills so they can achieve that goal and then seeing how good it feels when they win,” Adini said. “All our young marathon runners finished this 26 mile race – a huge accomplishment for them!”
A seventeen-year-old runner sponsored in this event described her achievement: “I feel grateful to have had the opportunity to run the marathon. I was nervous, but also excited. Having been given the privilege of running, thanks to Narconon, I trained to the best of my ability. A little more than halfway through, I began to feel soreness in my legs and experienced painful aches. However, since I was selected for this event, I reminded myself that not everyone has the same opportunity. I never thought of giving up. Not only did the marathon help me realize that I have self-discipline, but made me see that no matter the distance or obstacles, I can overcome any situation and accomplish my goal.” said Susana, seventeen years old.
After receiving the LAPD award, Adini stated Narconon Southern California Drug Prevention’s commitment to continue freeing children from the threat of substance abuse: “Over the years, we have seen clearly that when youth understand the dangers of substance abuse and also see that they can enjoy life without drugs or alcohol, they make the right choices. We will continue this work to help young people in our communities grow up strong, drug-free and successful.”
For more information on Narconon Drug Education and Prevention, call 888-800-8331.
Representatives from Narconon Centers All Over the World Converge on Narconon Arrowhead for Coordination and Inspiration
From the farthest corners of the world, executive directors and key staff from Narconon rehab centers arrived in Oklahoma for their annual Directors’ Conference on April 19, 2013. After two days of meetings in Oklahoma City, the group visited Narconon Arrowhead in Canadian, Oklahoma for further meetings and inspiration.
The group included visitors from South Africa, Australia, Russia, Italy and several other countries. On their arrival at Narconon Arrowhead, they were treated to a tour of this flagship property. Since its founding in 2001, Narconon Arrowhead has been the premier facility in the network, providing beds for as many as 200 people in recovery at any one time.
Executive Director Gary Smith gave the visitors an education in the marketing methods that have enabled this center to serve more than 10,000 people over the years. Ever since its opening, Narconon Arrowhead has also served as an international training center for those who want to open Narconon rehab centers in their part of the world. Each person who visits this facility is able to experience a working model for a successful Narconon center, and picture what they could grow their rehab center into.
Many drug education specialists have also come to Narconon Arrowhead to be trained in the drug education curriculum that was developed by Narconon drug prevention specialists. Around the world, this curriculum has been delivered to millions of young people.
After this tour, briefing and coordination meetings, these international representatives were better prepared to offer the Narconon life-saving rehabilitation technology to more individuals in need in their home areas.
For more information on Narconon please visit our website narconon.org or call 1-800-775-8750.
Celebrating 47 Years Saving Lives
February 19, 2013
Narconon celebrates its forty-seventh anniversary of saving lives
As of this anniversary, more than 38,000 people have graduated drug-free from Narconon centers around the world. More than 15 million young people and adults have been educated on the dangers of substance abuse.
Narconon centers continue to be leaders in providing effective, drug-free rehabilitation for those addicted to drugs or alcohol all around the world. As each year goes by, the Narconon network continues to expand its reach and services so we can save even more lives.
Since 1966, Narconon has been returning hope to addicts who previously had no hope. It all started with Willie Benitez while he was inside the Arizona State Prison system. During his sixth prison sentence for drug offenses, Willie found the philosophical works of L. Ron Hubbard and realized that he could use them to rehabilitate himself and others from addiction. It took months for him to get the approval of the prison officials to start a inside-the-walls rehab program, but once this program was rolling, other addicts in the prison also started recovering from their addictions.
It wasn’t long before he was released from prison and established the first residential Narconon center in Los Angeles. The Narconon network has since grown to over 300 centers and groups worldwide.
San Jose Meth Seizure Points Out Power of Drug Cartels
Police’s accidental discovery of huge methamphetamine stash provides evidence of drug cartel ability and intent to produce and distribute this damaging substance across the US.
Until the San Jose, California police department stumbled on 750 pounds of methamphetamine, it seemed like Thursday, March 1, 2012 was going to be a day like any other. But that was what they found when they entered an upscale apartment to look for a missing iPad.
The GPS of the device had led police to that address and the three residents were agreeable with the police entering and looking around. That’s when the police found bags and boxes of powder methamphetamine were being stored around the apartment. According to District Attorney Jeff Rosen, this seizure constituted more than six year’s worth of normal meth seizures in that community.
The retail value of the drugs totaled about $34 million. It was thought that the trio might have had the supply so they could convert the powder methamphetamine to crystal meth, a purer form that can be smoked.
In a later development, the US Drug Enforcement Administration announced that the three residents taken into custody from the apartment had ties to Mexican drug cartels. The specific cartel was not named, however just weeks before, the Mexican government had seized a record quantity of finished methamphetamine outside Guadalajara.
In that seizure on February 9, fifteen tons of the product were seized on a ranch in the Mexican countryside. According to the New York Times article on the seizure, the Mexican drugs were attributed to the Sinaloa cartel, a group with strong international connections. And in July 2011, more than 900 tons of meth-manufacturing chemicals were seized in Mexico, also reported in the New York Times.
Millions of Doses Taken Off the Street
Between these two seizures of finished methamphetamine, nearly 14 million doses of methamphetamine were taken off the market. This is more than enough to give every resident of Illinois one dose of meth; every adult, child and infant in the state. Another way of looking at it: Just the methamphetamine in this one apartment was enough to give every teenager in San Jose between the ages of 15 and 19 a taste of what this drug is like.
Methamphetamine is highly addictive, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. It may only take a few uses of this drug to develop a craving strong enough to make it a habit.
“Taking this drug off the market is of critical importance,” agreed Bobby Wiggins of Narconon International. Narconon is a non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating substance abuse and addiction. “From these seizures, it is obvious that the drug cartels have every intention of continuing to manufacture and distribute this addictive substance throughout this country and others. Treatment and prevention must match the efforts of law enforcement if we are going to protect our citizens and especially our children.”
Mr. Wiggins cited the National Survey on Drug Use and Health from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. “Every year, tens of thousands of Americans try methamphetamine for the first time,” he observed. “And the average age of first use has dropped from 22 in 2006 to 18.8 in 2010. Narconon staff and volunteers do their part to help by providing drug education to hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren each year on the dangers of drug abuse. Fifty Narconon rehab centers around the world provide rehabilitation for those who have become addicted.”
Mr. Wiggins concluded, “All three fronts of fighting this drug must be emphasized equally; law enforcement, treatment and prevention; if we are going to defeat the efforts of the cartels to bring these drugs into our cities.”
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Resources:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/10/world/americas/mexico-seizes-15-tons-of-methamphetamine.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/22/world/americas/22briefs-drugs.html?ref=methamphetamines
http://www.mercurynews.com/crime-courts/c_i20096845
http://www.mercurynews.com/news/c_i20108169
http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/methamphetamine-abuse-addiction
http://www.sanjoseca.gov/planning/census/
Parents Warned to Monitor Teens and Young Adults for “Bath Salts” Possession or Use
Trying to keep up with the changing landscape of illicit drug manufacture and use is a daunting task for a drug education professional, much less a parent. But it is something that must be attempted if children and young adults are to be kept educated and safe from dangerous, even life-threatening drugs.
One of the tactics used by unscrupulous drug manufacturers is to make a new formula that shifts the chemical composition of a banned drug just enough to circumvent the law. It takes awhile for law enforcement agencies to catch up and in the meantime, lives are threatened. Young people going to shops, parties or raves may be offered the new drug.
Which brings us to “Bath Salts.” These are off-white crystals sold in small bottles or foil packets at convenience stores and at raves or dance clubs around the country. They may be named something like Red Dove, Purple, Cloud Nine, Lunar Wave or Pure Ivory. The packaging will state that it is “not for consumption” and that it is just for use in a “refreshing” bath. But smoke it, snort it or shoot it and you will get a hallucinogenic, dissociative high that can be dangerous, even fatal.
More than three thousand calls for help have come in to US Poison Control Centers in the first half of 2011 alone. People have been injuring themselves or arriving in emergency rooms in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Indiana and throughout the South, Midwest and New England states. Psychotic episodes mimic those resulting from PCP use a few decades ago.
At its worst, the drugs in Bath Salts have resulted in extremely high fevers that can cause organ breakdown and death, suicide, homicide and a psychotic state that can only be subdued with a general anesthetic or powerful anti-psychotic drugs.
Bobby Wiggins is a drug education specialist for Narconon. He advised, “Parents should sit down with their teens and young adults and give them the straight story on this deadly drug. They could be saving the life of their own child or one of child’s friends.”
The US Drug Enforcement Administration has just used their authority to place a temporary national ban on the chemicals in the drug, giving legislators time to catch up with federal laws. But this action is just likely to drive dealers of the drug underground.
The psychoactive ingredient in Bath Salts may be Mephedrone , 3,4 methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) or Methylone. In chemical composition and effect, these drugs mimic the action of khat, a plant-based drug grown in East Africa and frequently smuggled into Europe and North America. Bath Salts, which may also be packaged and sold as plant food or “research chemicals” over the internet, are thought to be manufactured in China or India and then smuggled into the US, the UK or Europe.
When talking about Bath Salts, parents can report the following results that have come from emergency room or police reports:
Extremely high fevers that can result in kidney failure and death.
Psychotic episodes in which a person cannot even be subdued even by sedatives or Tasers.|
Homicidal rages or hallucinations that cause a person to leap into traffic, injure someone or commit suicide.
Mental confusion and disorientation lasting months.
“Parents may not learn the name and effects of every new drug that hits the market,” added Mr. Wiggins. “Really, the only safety for our young people is to educate them that they can never know when drug or alcohol abuse will turn deadly. Even if the drug itself is not life-threatening, nearly any drug can result in a fatal accident by altering a person’s perception of speed or distance or slowing their reaction time.” Mr. Wiggins recommended working with youth to develop their goals and then following up to provide assistance in achieving those goals. “When young people look forward to the future and feel they are accomplishing their goals, they are less likely to be sidetracked into drug and alcohol abuse,” he concluded.
To learn more about Narconon drug education or to receive drug education materials for your own use, contact Narconon International at 800-775-8750 or send an email to info@narconon.org
Hidden Epidemic of Collegiate Prescription Drug Abuse
Estimates of prescription drug abuse vary so greatly that it appears to be a hidden problem that is poorly understood by most colleges and universities.
When young adults go off to college, many of them are making their own independent decisions for the first time. They may be unprepared to handle the pressures of rigorous academic schedules, final exams, assignments and social events. What has developed is a vast network of controlled prescription drug distribution reaching every US campus. Students learn to self-medicate so they can study late, focus on exams and assignments, get to sleep, wake up, relax from the stresses of classes and relationships or stay up and party. The drugs are there, they have only to pick their poison.
There’s sedatives for chilling, opioid pain relievers for aches or to replace worries with mellowness, stimulants such as Ritalin and Adderall for heightened performance and antidepressants for those who are stressed out or anxious.
A search of educational websites for advice or information on prescription drug abuse turns up more than 600,000 web pages. It seems that every university and college is fighting this problem.
“What is missing is drug education thorough enough and honest enough to proof these young people for the tough choices ahead,” reported Bobby Wiggins, spokesperson for Narconon. “These students don’t realize that the best academic experiences and careers are built on a drug-free platform. The pressure to excel, to maintain grades for a scholarship or graduate school, the decisions that must be made every day about instructors, social relationships, finances and studies can end up being overwhelming. Without a thorough understanding of the problems associated with prescription drug abuse, it’s easy to make the wrong decision.” Narconon is an international non-profit organization dedicated to the elimination of substance abuse and addiction through effective drug rehabilitation and education. Narconon offers drug education classes on secondary school and college campuses as well as in the corporate environment in hundreds of locations around the world.
Apparently, it is difficult for schools to determine the exact rate of prescription drug abuse on campuses. Studies of the subject vary drastically. A 2010 report from the American College Health Association reported prescription drug abuse at 13.6 percent of men and 12.7 percent of women. But a professor at the University of Kentucky who studies the use of just one type of drug – the stimulants Ritalin and Adderall prescribed for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, suggested that as many as 34 percent of that university’s undergraduates have abused one or both stimulants. This professor also reported that he found the longer students were in school, the higher this rate went, with as many as 60 percent of juniors and seniors using the drug to enhance their academic performance. If this estimate is correct, this would make these prescription stimulants the most commonly used drug on campus after alcohol.
http://www.acha-ncha.org/docs/ACHA-NCHA-II_ReferenceGroup_ExecutiveSummary_Fall2010.pdf
http://chronicle.com/article/A-Ban-on-Brain-Boosting-Drugs/126523
http://www.casacolumbia.org/articlefiles/380-Wasting%20the%20Best%20and%20the%20Brightest.pdf
“As Ritalin is structurally similar to cocaine, it is not surprising that even the National Institute on Drug Addiction states that it can be addictive when it is abused,” added Bobby. “Aside from the addictiveness of this individual drug, our young adults are learning to medicate away their troubles which certainly opens the door to other types of drug abuse when they complete college and enter real life. Safety comes from learning to deal with life drug-free.”
http://psychcentral.com/news/2009/02/03/adhd-drug-ritalin-possibly-addictive/3898.html
If a college student does become addicted to prescription stimulants, alcohol or prescription pain relievers – all drugs commonly found on campuses – the compulsive behavior connected with acquiring drugs, making sure you have the funds for drugs to the exclusion of any other priority, and the intoxicating effects of the drugs can all conspire to wreck one’s educational plans. Narconon also offers drug rehabilitation services in cities across America and in Europe, Asia, Australia, the United Kingdom and Africa. Narconon’s long-term residential program is completed by most people in three to five months, enabling a student to return to his or her studies, ready to study without drugs, graduate and build a clean and sober adult life.
Narconon Spokesperson asks: Should American Drug Education Classes Receive a Failing Grade?
Every schoolchild goes home with a report of their grades for the classes in school. But who’s grading our kids on their involvement in alcohol and drug abuse? And if we got grades for their substance abuse, would our drug education efforts get an “A” or an “F”?
By examining reports and surveys on our children’s behavior, a report card of sorts can be compiled. From the report America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-being just published in July 2011, we find statistics on drinking and drug use among our eighth grade, tenth grade and twelfth grade students. (Heavy drinking is defined as five or more alcoholic beverages in a row or during a single occasion in the previous 2 weeks.)
Eighth grade: Seven percent of students engaged in heavy drinking in the previous two weeks.
Ten percent used an illicit drug in the previous 30 days.
Tenth grade: Sixteen percent engaged in heavy drinking.
Nineteen percent used an illicit drug in the previous 30 days.
Twelfth grade: Twenty-three percent engaged in heavy drinking.
Twenty-four percent used an illicit drug in the previous 30 days.
Some of these children who were old enough to drive also reported that they were driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. In 2009, a survey of 16 and 17-year-olds showed that 6.3 percent of them had done so. But in the Monitoring the Future Survey done in 2007, more than twelve percent of high school seniors reported that they have driven while under the influence of marijuana in the prior two weeks. This statistic was supported by a State of Maryland survey of adolescent drivers in which 11.1 percent of them said that they had driven after smoking marijuana three or more times.
Ironically, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death among young people aged 16 to 19 years.
“When you look at these statistics as percentages, the numbers might seem small,” observed Bobby Wiggins, spokesperson and drug education specialist for Narconon International. Narconon is a non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating substance abuse and addiction through effective drug rehabilitation and drug education. “You get the real impact if you view the numbers of our American children who are getting drunk, getting high or getting blasted on marijuana, cocaine, heroin or prescription drugs on a regular basis.”
Mr. Wiggins translated the percentages into the numbers of children. “We’ve got nearly 600,000 tenth graders drinking until they are drunk every two weeks, and 700,000 tenth graders smoking marijuana, using Ecstasy or LSD, or abusing OxyContin, Vicodin, Xanax or another prescription drug.
“Among the seniors, a million are getting drunk regularly, and more than a million are abusing drugs. Now please notice that these numbers are just for two grades – if you added the numbers for all ages, we may have as many as five million of our best and brightest young citizens abusing drugs or alcohol. This is a failing report card for our drug education.”
Mr. Wiggins cited the Narconon drug prevention curriculum that has been shown to reduce actual drug use after the eight-part curriculum is delivered. “Believe it or not, many other drug ed programs judge their success by whether or not the students recall what was taught, not by whether or not drug use statistics drop after the classes,” he commented. “The only statistic that means anything, if you are presenting drug education classes, is whether or not more children refuse to indulge in drug use because they know the damage and the danger.”
Mr. Wiggins has been educating students on the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse for more than 30 years. For more information on the Narconon drug education and prevention curriculum, contact a drug prevention specialist.
Resources:
http://www.childstats.gov/pdf/ac2011/ac_11.pdf
http://www.drugabuse.gov/infofacts/driving.html
http://www.census.gov/hhes/school/data/cps/2009/tables.html
Parental Concern About Drugs at Raves Is Warranted – Underground or Public – Attendees Are At Risk
The Narconon Drug Education approach has for decades enabled teens to stand up to peer pressure when faced with offers to take drugs. Never has the challenge been greater than today. In addition to teen parties, mini (2000)and mega raves (200,000) often lasting more than 8 hours and even multiple days act like magnets that attract the 18 year-old and older set into packed venues and easy access to drugs.
Lehigh University, a four year private college in Pennsylvania was the subject of headlines on Dec. 5, 2011. “At least 44 (later corrected to 35) from Lehigh U. rave party taken to hospitals for drugs and alcohol – Incident is being called ‘mass casualty’ event that burdened emergency responders. The event was the rave Dayglow.
The event venue was Phillip Rauch Field House, which bears signage: “Alcoholic beverages are not permitted in any Lehigh athletic facility.” Yet all ambulance incidents were reported as alcohol and substance abuse related by campus police.
Rave promoters generally seek to play down in the media that illegal drugs are part of the rave scene, but the premise is preposterous, if only because human stamina requires drugs to keep up the 128 beats per minute pulse of typical house music. Parents of 18 year olds may hope the draw is just the music, but evidence is clearly otherwise. Today’s public rave concerts are big business. Like any business they do what is required to protect their market share and adhere to their successful formulas – including an unspoken invitation to get very, very high.
“Law enforcement officers can do little to curtail drug abuse that takes place at raves. Promoters set minimum age for their events at 18 hoping to escape fault, but the ambulances roll and in the wake of events lives can be ruined and sometimes lost,” says Bobby Wiggins, senior Drug Prevention Specialist at Narconon International. “Promoters generally shrug off responsibility, apologize or offer condolences as required of them when incidents occur.”
There is a further factor of risk beyond emergency room incidents that Narconon® has addressed for decades – serious addiction. Studies show that the tendency for teens to use drugs is laid in years before they enter their first rave. As stated in the white paper, Non-Medical Marijuana III: Rite of Passage or Russian Roulette? (first issued in 1999) by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, these are facts:
- Most illicit drug users begin their illicit drug use with marijuana; their use of this drug usually is preceded by the use of alcohol and nicotine.
- Research indicates that the earlier drug use is initiated, the higher the risk for abuse and dependence. In 2006, for adults 21 and older who first tried marijuana at age 14 or younger, 10.4 percent were classified with illicit drug abuse or dependence compared to 2.0 percent of adults who had first used marijuana at age 18 or older.
Wiggins says that Narconon Drug Prevention services are available to youth throughout their school experience, but there is a crucial time. “You want to focus your most diligent drug education at or before kids are considering experimenting with drugs. We understand the mindset that it is important to a pre-teen to be accepted by peers, which means peer pressure has to lean heavily against drugs for that child to be safe. The Narconon approach accomplishes that by giving very real and very accurate information that can actually turn most children totally off to drugs. It really can be done.”
In an effort to reach students on the brink of their partying years, Friends of Narconon, a sister organization of Narconon International raised funds to produce Xstasy the Real Story Parts 1 and 2. “We wanted to present information about ecstasy (MDMA) in particular because of its direct association with the rave scene, and we wanted young people to be able to relate to the actual situations they could be facing,” says Wiggins. “Hundreds of 1000s of kids have seen the film and they really get the picture. I feel confident we have prevented a lot of ruined lives, but much more needs to be done.”
Narconon Drug Education presenters are a ready resource to parents who are concerned about whether their sons or daughters are prepared for the tough choices that lie ahead of them. Contact Narconon International to be put in touch with the most immediate resource to your area schools.
For information on the Narconon Programs, please visit narconon.org or send an email to info@narconon.org.
http://www.casacolumbia.org/articlefiles/380-Non-Medical_Marijuana_III.pdf
http://www.about-drugs.org/catalog/Drug-Education-title0-p-1-c-295.html
Narconon International Drug Prevention Reaches Young People With Vital Info About Drugs
Helping Kids Understand What Drugs Are Is Key to Keeping Kids Off Drugs
Narconon International publishes the educational booklet, 10 Things Your Friends May Not Know About Drugs. Presented as a series of “true false” questions based on common confusions a young person might have about drugs, the booklet offers 10 perspectives that set the record straight in easy to understand terms. “We have been publishing this booklet for more than a decade”, reports Bobby Wiggins, Drug Education Specialist of Narconon International. “We know it has helped 100s of thousands of kids avoid the trap of drugs during their formative years”, he added.
A fundamental point of the booklet is all drugs are basically poisons. Poisons are capable of killing a human being because they contain chemical substances that the body cannot distinguish from natural chemicals, but which when used by the body bring about a fatally destructive result. Drug intoxication is the subjective experience of the body in a poisoned condition. In the case of a lethal dose of cyanide, there is little subjective experience, as the fatal result is near instant. But in the case of narcotics and hallucinogens, intoxication can be prolonged and the subjective experience can vary greatly person to person – mind-altering enough to cause insanity or seductive enough to induce powerful cravings.
But lest we forget, and as we find out in our 10 Things booklet, all intoxication is the result of ingesting poison, which includes ethyl alcohol, found in all alcoholic beverages.
Most people are surprised to learn that alcohol poisoning can be fatal, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. All it takes is binge drinking, or consuming five or more drinks in a row over a short period of time. A recent survey showed that more than 44 percent of full-time college students reported consuming five or more drinks on the same occasion at least once in the past 30 days.
That is the dose of alcohol (not taking into account the proof of the beverage) leading to most instances of alcohol poisoning according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). When consumed at high rate, the poisonous chemical cannot be kept from brain cells where the trouble begins. Ethyl Alcohol once introduced into the chemical processes of the brain can slow the heart and lung function down to dangerously low levels. The gag reflex, which would normally prevent a person from choking, is also depressed so victims can choke on their own tongue or vomit should they drop into unconsciousness.
Death from alcohol may be far less likely than death from cyanide, which simply blocks one of the enzymes involved in the electron transfer chain which interrupts cellular respiration causing instant suffocation, but the agent in both cases is poison. 10 Things Your Friends May Not Know About Drugs is broadly distributed by Narconon ® centers and groups. Download the 10 Things Your Friends May Not Know About Drugs booklet for free.
Narconon Drug Prevention Specialist Spells out the Danger of Marijuana in Less than One Minute in New Video
Every day, youth receive many conflicting messages about drug use from their friends, movies and music. What is needed to cut through all the noise is clear, precise information about drugs. That’s what this new video from Bobby Wiggins, a drug prevention specialist for decades, now provides.
When a young teen first steps out on his (or her) own, away from his parents’ influence, he is immediately bombarded with confusing and sometimes oppressive influences. She may be influenced about simple things like the proper dress to be fit in with their peers, how much makeup to wear and how late to stay out. Differing opinions among their friends challenge their parents’ teachings.
But independent teenage years also bring far more critical influences and decisions. When is the right time to start being sexually active? And is it right to take drugs? Which drugs are OK? Which ones are dangerous?
Most teens lack the specific guidelines to help them at this time of their lives. Drug education classes lean heavily in the direction of scare tactics and adamant directions that the teens should “not use any drugs” without explaining why that is. Drug education ends up being mired down in conflicting opinions and just become more “orders from grown-ups on what to do.”
To make things worse, the controversy and conflicting ideas that are pushed by media outlets and legislative bodies provide no clear message to teens. Marijuana use is bad… but it’s OK for sick people. Doctors say so. Prescription drug abuse is also bad… but that’s OK for sick people too. Doctors say that as well. Alcohol use is bad, but teens see adults drinking at sports events and social gatherings all the time. And as for the alcohol and drug use in movies and music videos – that’s pretty much a never-ending display of substance abuse.
What teens need is crystal clear information that cuts through the noise, conflict and confusion. A new video from Bobby Wiggins, a drug education specialist for decades, lays the truth about marijuana right on the line. A former addict, Mr. Wiggins knows all too well what happens to youth who lack clear information about drugs. “It’s my mission to prevent people from becoming addicted in the future by teaching young people WHY it’s dangerous to get started using drugs,” explained Mr. Wiggins.
“No one I’ve ever known has intended to become an addict,” he added. “I should know. I’ve helped thousands of people get off drugs after they got trapped in their drug or alcohol abuse. By spreading drug education far and wide, it’s very simple: in the future, there will be fewer addicts who need treatment.”
Mr. Wiggins’ quick and to-the-point video on the primary problems with THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, is available on YouTube at: How long does weed stay in the system?. Mr. Wiggins meets the challenge of fast and clear education in this one minute video that provides enough specific information about marijuana to make the viewer stop and think. And that may just be the moment that can save that young person from thinking that drug use is fine, because “everyone else is doing it.”
Mr. Wiggins learned how to overcome his own addiction through the services of the Narconon drug and alcohol rehabilitation program. From its modest beginning inside the Arizona State Prison system, the Narconon program has grown to provide drug rehab services and drug education classes through more than 120 centers around the world. Mr. Wiggins has helped forward this movement by developing many of the drug education curricula used by Narconon volunteer and staff education specialists. After two decades of developing and delivering classes, he is now utilizing the reach of the internet and posting his drug education messages on YouTube for anyone to see. Anyone can find answers to questions like “How Long do Drugs Stay in the Body?” “Is Ecstasy Safe?” and “What do Drugs do to Your Nervous System?”
“It’s not enough to tell young people ‘just say no.’ They need to be able to think for themselves in all kinds of challenging situations,” Mr. Wiggins offered. “Their best friend lighting up a joint is a powerful inducement to join in. It takes a strong message to enable that young person to maintain an independent viewpoint, right at that moment. That’s what this anti-marijuana video and all my other anti-drug videos are about.”
Narconon drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers send their staff and volunteers out into the community to deliver anti-drug classes to thousands of people annually, focusing on schoolchildren, companies and community groups. Corporate drug education classes can save companies tens of thousands of dollars in losses by preventing addiction among valuable and experienced employees.
Civic groups enlist the participation of Narconon drug education specialists for community events to spread the word about the better life that can be lived when one is drug-free.
For more than 45 years, Narconon centers and staff have been dedicated to the elimination of drug abuse and addiction. Mr. Wiggins and the international network of Narconon centers show no signs of slowing down in the least.
For more information on Narconon drug education services call us or email us at info@narconon.org.
Also another video released earlier this year: Long Term Effects of Weed
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