New Treatment Approach to Drug and Alcohol Addiction Getting Positive Results

Living in the misery and shame of addiction doesn't have to be an addict's destiny, despite having unsuccessfully tried "everything" to get their life back. So says Ryan Thorpe, Certified Chemical Dependency Counselor and the Director of Admissions at Narconon Arrowhead.

In a Nov. 3 press release, Thorpe explains that there are three primary factors that make up the trap of addiction. They are cravings, depression and guilt. "A rehabilitation program, to be successful, must help the addict himself or herself eliminate each of these factors in a fundamental, lasting way. No one can do it for him or her, no evaluation or analysis by an outside party can hope to change a person's world like they themselves can.

The amazing thing is that when we see these factors fully addressed, we also see a person literally walk away from the addiction once and for all." Thorpe says that in 2007, they have witnessed nearly 500 individuals successfully complete the Narconon Arrowhead program. "They no longer view themselves as addicts. They are living proof that addiction can be cured," he said.

According to the Stop Addiction website, the Narconon Arrowhead Drug Rehabilitation and Education Center is a full-service residential drug rehab. The agency's philosophy is that the one who helps the addict the most is the addict himself or herself. After addressing immediate physical needs, the agency works with the individual addict to increase their ability to confront and control themselves and their environments.

Anyone who has worked with addicts, lived with an addict or been an addict knows that addiction to any substance is a complex problem that's difficult to solve. And treatment approaches vary as much as the addicts themselves. Some, such as the National Institutes of Health, say it's a disease - a chronic, relapsing disease without a cure. Narconon Arrowhead's position is that "if you understand the makeup of addiction and address the real causes, then addiction can be eliminated for a lifetime."