Anonymous asked this question on 4/20/2000:
What is Narconan and what exactly is the success rate,I know it's some kind of drug therpy,or something. Did it really save Kirstie Alley's life?
desertphile gave this response on 4/20/2000:
Narconon gives lectures to school students throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. It is an anti-drug organization that helps drug addicts abandon the addiction. It involves using the Purification Rundown Technology developed by Dr. Ron Hubbard and offered as the second course new members traditionally acquire when joining the Church of Scientology (the first course being the Communication Course where one lears the proper way to communicate).
The Rundown is said to increase a person's IQ and provide the person more energy and clearer thinking abilities. There are a great many testimonials on this available at various Church of Scientology web sites.
The method requires vigorous exercise, five hours of saunas, megadoses of up to 5,000 mg of niacin, and doses of cooking oil. This regimen is repeated daily for two or three weeks. Every Scientologist, including young children, go through this detox procedure.
This often causes a person to feel very sick. Scientologists believe that is the result of toxins being expelled from the body. People subjected to Narconon's treatment report they feel "floating," and some have stayed in that state for weeks afterwards.
Unfortunately, such high amounts of niacin is very harmful to one's liver and can result in serious injury. In actual fact, the only thing Narconon is good at from removing from a person's body is salt and water: no drugs and no toxins are removed by the process. In the United States this treatment cost about US$1,200.
After the physical treatment, emotional treatments are applied. This involves repetitive motion and speaking in a Questions and Answers form.
Here is an example:
Question: Do birds fly?
Answer: Yes
Question: Thanks. Do birds fly?
Answer: No
Question: Thanks. Do birds fly?
Answer: Maybe.
The "dialogue" is repeated for hours. In an "advanced" exercise, the patient stands before a blank wall.
Organizer: Look at this wall.
Answer: Thank you.
Organizer: Go over to the wall.
Answer: Thank you.
Organizer: Touch the wall.
Answer: Thank you.
Organizer: Turn around.
Answer: Thank you.
Then on to the next wall. The ritual continues up to eight hours a day.
As for the success rate for Narconon, there have been very few studies. One study was completed in the United States prison system. The study examined men addicted to drugs and their success in keeping off drugs after receiving Narconon's treatment. The study showed that the success rate was 9% with an error margine of 2% (not all men could be surveyed after treatment due to their being released from prison). Compare that rate with the success rate from receiving lectures and literature and psychological help for addiction (18%) or the success rate for drug addiction using medication (25%), and one can get a good idea on the effectiveness of Narconon.
One parent defined her son's behavior after going through the Narconon treatment as "Robot-like." Others have pointed out that Narconon's Purification Rundown only swaps one addiction (drugs) for another (Scientology). Vigilli Venzin (a Swiss drug expert) said he has seen many people leave Narconon completely "depersonalized."
Fortunately, that is the EXCEPTION and not the rule. While narconon's treatment itself is worthless, it is also for the most part harmless. The greatest danger is for young children, the elderly, and the physically weak.
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