Narconon Champions National Prevention Week with a Parent’s Guide to a Safe Summer for Teens
- With a steady stream of intense drinking and drug-using movies being released before school vacations, Narconon offers parents a helping hand to keep teen and young adults safe from harm.
Just in time for the summer and the National Prevention Week sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Narconon has released the Safe Summer Guide for parents. This guide is being released as schools let out for the summer which traditionally means higher numbers of young people starting to abuse drugs or alcohol, as reported by SAMHSA.
The last few years, the number and intensity of movies featuring young people getting smashed and destroying property have escalated in intensity. Ironically, major drinking and drug use movies are often released just before Spring Break or summer vacation. Parents have their hands full trying to offset these and other media influences that portray drinking, drug use and destructive behavior as “fun.” But if they don’t do their best, they may be facing the injury, arrest or even death of their teenaged or young adult children.
In March 2012, the extreme-teen-party movie Project X hit theaters, and by April, copycat parties had sprung up in Texas, Missouri, California, Utah, Florida, and other states. In each case, there was extensive property damage, plenty of underage drinking, injuries and even one death.
“Parents may not know how to approach their teens on the subject of staying safe and sober,” stated Clark Carr, president of Narconon International. “The first thing they should know is to start early, before children reach their teens. By downloading our free Safe Summer Guide, they will have specific steps they can take to help protect their children from harm. The most important things they can do are to talk to their kids and to set their own good example.”
The Safe Summer Guide offers a step-by-step approach parents can use to make it very clear that they expect their teen to avoid drug or alcohol abuse. There are specific suggestions on how to prevent opportunities for substance abuse and harm and also how to show youth that fun does not have to include substance abuse. This free downloadable guide incorporates the advice of the Surgeon General and the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University.
“Young people can be influenced to drink, use drugs or take part in destruction because of peer pressure, movies, television shows and other media,” said Carr. “By countering these outside influences with love, concern and vigilance, parents save their children’s lives.”
Download the Safe Summer Guide Today.
Narconon is an international network of drug rehabilitation and prevention centers. For more information on Narconon, call 1-800-775-8750 or visit www.narconon.org.
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.
Narconon Vista Bay Celebrates Twenty Years of Saving Addicted Lives
Local dignitaries join Narconon Vista Bay staff and graduates in acknowledging 20 years of service to the community.
It was twenty years ago that Narconon Vista Bay first opened its doors to offer help and a program to those struggling with addiction to drugs or alcohol. Since 1992, this group has expanded into three separate properties spread throughout Northern California, all offering the innovative and successful Narconon drug rehabilitation program. On the 2nd of November, the staff joined graduates, local dignitaries and community members to celebrate the completion of these twenty years of life-saving work.
Anyone who has lost someone to drugs or alcohol knows that addiction can be a life or death matter. People who had fallen prey to alcohol, heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine or other drugs needed a more effective solution for their recovery. But society’s drug problem starts much earlier, when its school-aged children are trying drugs for the first time. Due to this, when Narconon Vista Bay started offering drug rehabilitation in 1992, they also began to provide drug education services to schools, clubs and community organizations.
On the night of the event, the weather was warm, sunny and calm; perfect for a community event. Present to celebrate the decades of successful rehab and education were Greg Caput from the Santa Cruz County Board of Directors and Letitia Perez, from Luis Alejo’s State Assembly office. Rodrigo Ubillus, who oversees community outreach and drug education for Narconon Vista Bay hosted the event. He also received a special award from Narconon International for his many years of working with youth in the area.
Proclamations praising Narconon Vista Bay and celebrating their success and good work were received from the Cities of Watsonville, Seaside and Santa Cruz, the State Assembly and the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors. The City of Santa Cruz proclaimed November 2, 2012 as Narconon Vista Bay Day.
The Executive Director of Narconon Vista Bay shared stories about the days when the organization started in a simple home, to eventually expand into three residential facilities: one overlooking Monterey Bay, one just a few blocks from the shores of Lake Tahoe, and a third tucked into a private corner of the woods in Placerville.
The representative from the Santa Cruz Board of Directors, Mr. Greg Caput, acknowledged those graduates who were present for their hard work in overcoming their addiction. The families present shared stories of getting a loved one back from drugs as a result of the Narconon program and graduates told tales of how they finally found lasting sobriety at Narconon Vista Bay, sometimes after several attempts at other types of rehabs.
The support from the community was overwhelming. It inspired the staff to continue the expansion of Narconon Vista Bay over the next twenty years. “We aren’t just helping addicts, we are saving lives, putting families back together and helping the next generation make better choices.” stated President Dan Manson, “The recognition from the government officials and community members was wonderful. Everyone I spoke to is so happy we are here and it fills us with joy to be honored like this. We will keep up the good work and help as many people as we can in the coming years.”
For more information about Narconon Vista Bay, contact Rodrigo Ubillus at 800-556-8885 or visit on the web at www.narcononvistabay.com.
Narconon International Hosts 2012 Narconon Drug Rehab And Education Conference
Narconon International hosted its 2012 Narconon® Drug Rehab and Drug Education Conference in Tulsa, OK. Executive Directors from Narconon centers around the world gathered to celebrate expansion and coordinate future growth.
Los Angeles, CA – Narconon International hosted its 2012 Narconon Executive Directors Conference held in Tulsa, OK, April 27th- April 29th. Executive Directors and senior staff from Narconon centers and groups around the world gathered to participate in a full schedule of training, planning and celebration of unprecedented expansion.
Guests of the International conference, some of whom have worked in the network for up to 40 years, arrived from centers in the Eastern and Western United States, United Kingdom, Nepal, Russia, Sweden, Italy, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico and South Africa.
The first day’s schedule was highlighted with a trip to Narconon Arrowhead, the international training center of the Narconon network. The visit consisted of a tour of the center and attending its weekly graduation with over 200 students who are studying the Narconon program. There was not a dry eye left in the room as students spoke of their successes and life changing wins.
The Narconon program is comprised of 8 parts and students graduate from each one. The first course is a drug-free withdrawal followed by the Narconon New Life Detoxification program which removes harmful drug and other toxins stored in body tissue which process helps reduce persistent drug cravings. Life skills courses follow that help the student improve his confront and communication and develop his ability to discover why he turned to drugs in the first place. Three out of four Narconon graduates go on to live productive drug free live.
Awards to the various levels of Narconon centers and groups who achieved the most expansion last year were awarded Saturday evening by Narconon International President Clark Carr. First Place Winners included: Narconon Freedom Center in Michigan for Residential Centers, Narconon of Georgia for Outpatient Centers, and Europe Drug Prevention for Drug Education.
“We are proud of our Narconon drug rehab and drug prevention centers and the substantial worldwide network expansion this year. It is a rewarding career to provide effective drug education programs to help keep our young people off drugs or to provide rehab programs to help addicts truly free themselves from alcohol and other drugs,” says Carr.
The Narconon drug rehabilitation and education program was founded in 1966 by heroin addict William Benitez. It uses drug-free rehabilitation and social education methodology based on research by American author and humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard. For these last four decades, Narconon staffs have dedicated themselves to eliminating drug abuse and drug addiction through drug prevention, education and rehabilitation. The Narconon drug rehabilitation program routinely results in drug-free lives, the majority of its graduates going on to live stable, productive, drug-free lives. These Narconon graduates, whether drug-free for ten, twenty or even 45 years, demonstrate that recovery is really possible. If you know someone struggling with alcohol addiction or drug abuse, or are looking for a career in substance abuse, visit http://www.narconon.org or call 877-237-3307.
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
Narconon Spokesperson Points Out How Eliminating Substance Abuse and Addiction will Save Children’s Lives
Around the world, children suffer from the indirect effects of substance abuse through harm done by traffickers or substance-abusing parents.
Everywhere there are illicit drugs being abused, there are children being harmed. In different regions, the harm takes varying forms. But children, humans in their most vulnerable states, have little protection against the savagery that surrounds drug trafficking, drug dealing and drug abuse.
In the United States, more than a thousand children a year are affected by exposure to methamphetamine due to meth production in the home. Thousands more children are injured or killed when drugs are abused by parents or guardians. In Maryland in 2010, an infant was killed when her meth-addled mother added her to the washing machine with a load of clothes.
In Europe, it is estimated that nine million children are affected by the alcoholism of one of their parents. These children are found to suffer from neglect and feelings of shame due to the alcohol abuse, and 16 percent of all child abuse cases were connected to alcohol abuse.
Narconon spokesperson Bobby Wiggins stated, “Eliminate drug addiction around the world and all children have a safer environment in which to grow up. Improvements cover a broad spectrum, from simply being fed and clothed properly to escaping direct and outright violence.” Narconon is an international non-profit organization dedicated to the elimination of substance abuse and addiction through effective drug rehabilitation and drug education.
But in Mexico, the violence surrounding drug cartel activities has taken child endangerment to an entirely new level. In their intense battles for drug smuggling channels and power, the cartels are killing children.
In March 2011, five children lost their lives to drug cartel violence in one week in Acapulco alone. The latest victim was a four-year-old girl who was sitting in a car with a woman who was shot in the back. Two boys, two and six, were killed when a cartel gunman invaded their home. Two teens were killed in separate attacks in the city.
“It’s bad enough that we lose productive citizens to drug addiction,” added Wiggins. “When we also lose our innocent children, we have reached new lows. It’s just one more reason to fight substance abuse and addiction wherever we find it.”
For more information on Narconon’s drug rehabilitation and education activities, contact a Narconon drug rehab center.
Resources:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42145723/ns/world_news-americas/
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2626560/posts
http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/enforce/dr_endangered_child.html
http://www.activeeurope.org/attachedFiles/documents/press_release_7__eurocareoactive__children_of_alcoholics.pdf
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 Drug Rehab and Drug Prevention Centers Support Red Ribbon Week 2011
Narconon Rehab Facilities and Education Centers joined with millions in the longest running anti-drug effort of parents and youth in the US
The Partnership at Drug Free Org reports that 85 million people in the United States are impacted by drug abuse. Knowing that far too many young people are poised to push those numbers higher, drug addiction specialists at Narconon Vista Bay are all too aware that cutting the demand for drugs is crucial. They have risen to the occasion by running an aggressive drug prevention program that reaches deep into their surrounding community.
At a special ceremony during the annual observance of Red Ribbon Week 2011, their work was recognized by a mayoral proclamation presented by Daniel Dodge, Mayor of the City of Watsonville. The proclamation described their continued contribution and efforts to educate Santa Cruz County youth in the dangers of using drugs and alcohol through a program reported to be reducing drug use by adolescents by 30% to 50%. The proclamation was received by the President of Narconon Vista Bay, Daniel Manson, on behalf of staff and executives.
Red Ribbon week with its powerful message urging youth to stay drug free has captured the imagination and dedication of the entire United States. With its roots in the state of California, it is not surprising that a long-established California drug prevention organization based in Los Angeles County has been a powerful force in carrying it forward. Tony Bylsma, lead drug prevention instructor at Narconon Drug Prevention and Education (NNDPE), was honored by San Fernando Valley Los Angeles Councilmember Tony Alarcon in recognition of “dedication and outstanding contribution.” Bylsma has personally helped over ten thousand Los Angeles area students to decide to keep drugs out of their lives.
Another place where Red Ribbon Week took on special meaning was at the Narconon facility in South Texas. Here Red Ribbon Week extended throughout the entire month of October. 4,411 students and 400 parents received drug prevention training by center staff reaching parents and youth in Harlingen, San Benito, Brownsville, La Feria, and Los Fresnos, including the Amador Rodriquez Juvenile Boot Camp, the Harlingen Boys & Girls Club, Cameron County Juvenile Justice Intense Supervision Probation, as well as several elementary and middle schools, a total of 18 locations.
For more than two and a half decades the last week in October has been set aside for American youth and adults coast to coast to renew their resolve to keep drugs out of their lives. To show their commitment they display red satin ribbons on clothing, buildings, vehicles and more to forward a tradition of acknowledging those who have sacrificed their lives to keep drugs from flowing into the country and compromising neighborhoods. It is a tradition that dates back to 1985 when “Kiki Clubs” were first formed in Calexico by current Director of Teen Challenge in Los Angeles County, Henry Lozano, after the brutal torture and execution of his high school friend, Agent Enriqué “Kik” Camarena (Drug Enforcement Administration). Camarena was on the verge of busting a multi-billion dollar drug pipeline when he was kidnapped outside his office by Cartel thugs in Guadalajara Mexico.
Bobby Wiggins, senior Drug Prevention Specialist at Narconon International says, “Camarena’s tragic death and the campaign launched in his memory by Mr. Lozano has been a key strategy to cut the impact of drugs on neighborhoods for more than 25 years. “We can’t stop ruthless cartels. That is the domain of law enforcement, but we charge all of our centers in every state to take effective actions to cut off the demand for drugs effective actions to cut off thedemand for drugs. By reaching out to youth before they are introduced to drugs we work to build their resolve to keep drugs out of their lives and the lives of their friends.”
For more information on the Narconon Drug Prevention and Education Programs visit:
Senseless Celebrity Deaths No Substitute for Hard-Focused Drug Prevention
Narconon® Drug Prevention Experts Want Parents to Understand Why Teens Who Drink Are At Serious Risk – Regardless the Tragedies They Witness Resulting from Drinking and Driving
Recently Ryan Dunn, 34, who found fame in the Jackass movies originating on MTV, took his life and the life of a pal, Zachery Hartwell, 30. Dunn found fame by exhibiting his willingness to do the unthinkable so it could be captured on film for others to laugh about. He had a huge fan base amongst teen aged boys because of his willingness to try anything, especially if it was gross, and live to laugh about it. It was a message that his MTV and big box office crowds alike genuinely appreciated, and judging from the outpouring of sentiments at his death, loved him for.
But there were no cameras rolling when his Porsche topped 130 mph, hit a guard rail, careened into the woods and burst into flame. Dunn was driving impaired by an alcohol content double the legal limit in Pennsylvania where the crash occurred at 3 a.m. on Monday morning after weekend partying.
“Parents hoping that gruesome crash might deter their sons or daughters from getting behind the wheel when they are under the influence of alcohol will be disappointed,” says Bobby Wiggins, Drug Prevention Specialist of Narconon International, “Once someone is drunk, they are too numb to make a connection that would prompt avoiding the risk of drinking and driving.”
There is good science backing this statement. The person who is drunk experiences what has been called, “alcohol myopia” which has been identified as what is behind alcohol’s stress-reducing effects, and what also leads to addiction. Simply stated, it is impairment of perception and thought.
The behaviors that can be expected when someone is drinking heavily fall into three categories: a) drunken excess: the tendency for those who drink to behave more excessively, b) self-Inflation: the tendency to inflate self-evaluations, and 3) drunken Relief: the tendency for people who drink to worry less and pay less attention to their worries.
All of these behaviors can be attributed to alcohol myopia, which increases a person’s concentration upon immediate events and reduces awareness of events which are distant (hence the reference to myopia which is nearsightedness).
When excessive drinking amongst teens spikes, drunk teens oblivious of future consequence put them and their friends at risk. Case in point, Fourth of July weekends annually have caused emergency room visits to double for teen aged boys as documented by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The report is culled from SAMHSA’s Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) report, a system that monitors drug-related hospital emergency department visits around the country.
“This is why the only defense parents have is drug prevention. They must see that their sons and daughters have the information needed to combat peer pressure to use alcohol,” says Wiggins. “Ryan Dunn did not have to die or take another young man’s life. His crazy stunts would not have killed him, but alcohol could and did, because he was blind to risk.”
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.
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