The room was filling to overflowing, balloons floated above the stage and the crowd hummed with anticipation as the forty-third anniversary celebration of the Narconon drug and alcohol rehabilitation program kicked off at Narconon Arrowhead on Friday night. The anniversary celebration was incorporated into the weekly graduation ceremonies that validate those who have learned to live drug-free again. But the presence of honored guests made the evening particularly special.
Mayor Kevin Priddle was there from McAlester along with Jimmy Jones, staff of the Oklahoma Legislature and a graduate of Narconon, and other graduates who had returned to share their stories of success. The Chaplain of Narconon Arrowhead Rev. James McLaughlin was also present with his wife, Cleo, who serves as Narconon’s Director of Governmental Affairs.
The ceremonies started off as usual, with the validation of those who had completed each phase of the Narconon program. Students went onstage to talk about the changes and progress they had made on each level and the crowd roared its appreciation each time. A young woman talked about having a new appreciation of learning how to study, and how she realized she was in the process of learning how to live a new, drug-free life. A blond man in his 30s thanked his grandparents and his children for visiting him while he was in rehab, reminding everyone present that without families, many addicted people have little hope of recovery.
After several more such stories, the floor was open to anyone who had wins they wished to speak about. All over the crowd, hands were raised, as students and graduates wanted to tell about their progress. A woman who had graduated several months earlier told the story about how her family had rediscovered the beloved daughter or sister they hadn’t seen in many years. A woman in her mid-twenties stated that she had passed her first drug test since she was 14 years old. A short man in a baseball cap took a few minutes to encourage those who were working their way through the program to stick with it as he had graduated two years before and was enjoying a clean and sober life.
After the students and graduates had their chance to speak, Ms. McLaughlin took over the podium to share with the crowd the numerous citations and acknowledgements Narconon Arrowhead had received from government officials in support of the work Narconon does to create better cities in which to live. She presented and read proclamations from The Honorable Dean Smith, Mayor of Eufaula, Oklahoma Senator Roger Ballenger, Senator Richard Lerblance and Representatives Terry Harrison and Brian Renegar. Two Texas elected officials had also sent acknowledgements: Jarvis Johnson, a City Council Member from Houston, and Sylvester Turner, a State Representative. Of particular interest was the certificate from Governor Brad Henry, proclaiming February 19, 2009 Narconon Arrowhead Day.
At the end of these presentations, Ms. Johnson introduced the evening’s guests and invited them to speak. Mr. Jimmy Jones told his story of facing jail time for addiction-related offenses, but finding Narconon as a solution. Because of this solution, he was able to return to his work in the Oklahoma Legislature, completely drug-free, and could help support Narconon in its work to save lives. He encouraged the students in the audience to give this recovery everything they had, because this was the beginning of a new and better life for each.
The next speaker was the Honorable Kevin Priddle, Mayor of McAlester. Mr. Priddle told the touching story of his friendship with Michael Ginsburg, a child music prodigy who went on to become a concert violinist then lost it all to drug addiction. Mr. Priddle, a performing guitarist himself, played many concerts with Michael after the young man’s graduation from the Narconon program. It was during the Narconon program that Michael first picked up a violin after 15 years of drug abuse and neglect of his talents.
The rehabilitation of Michael’s life also included a renewed interest in benefiting the community with his gift of music, and he began to play at charity appearances and to give lessons to those who had always wished they could learn to play the violin. Mr. Priddle told the group, “I am a better man for knowing one of your graduates, Michael. If one former addict can have that kind of impact on the mayor of a city, think what each of you in this program can do if you just accept what the program is offering you and apply what you learn here.”
The evening was wrapped up by the Executive Director of Narconon Arrowhead, Gary W. Smith. Mr. Smith told the little-known tale of the beginnings of Narconon inside the Arizona State Prison system, due to the persistence of a heroin-addicted inmate named William Benitez. After many years of struggling to overcome a heroin addiction, “Willie” found himself once again incarcerated in 1966. No failure, no setback could quench his desire to somehow, some way fight his way to a drug-free life. The gift of a thin volume on basic truths about living and life, Fundamentals of Thought by L. Ron Hubbard, was the beginning of that dream. When Willie read this book, he knew he had found the tools he needed to break through to that drug-free existence. He started a correspondence with Mr. Hubbard, who supported Willie’s desire to start a drug rehab within the prison walls, something that had never existed in any prison.
Despite repeated denials by prison officials, Willie kept applying for permission to hold meetings to apply what he was learning from Mr. Hubbard’s works, and on February 19, 1966, he finally got the permission he needed. He started his rehabilitation service with ten inmates, which proved highly successful. After his release from prison, Willie continued to provide rehabilitation services under the Narconon name. Over time, the Narconon network of rehabilitation services expanded to circle the globe, with more than a hundred rehabilitation and education centers in more than 40 countries.
Mr. Smith ended by saying, “Narconon is not just an international network of drug and alcohol rehabilitation and education programs, it is a movement. It is former addicts and people who care helping current addicts learn how to live drug-free and ethical lives. These recovered addicts then go home and act as positive influences in their communities. It was that way when Mr. Hubbard helped Willie, then Willie turned around and helped the first ten inmates live better lives. It is that way today and it will be that way far into the future until substance abuse is no longer one of this planet’s most widespread and devastating social problems.”
The evening’s proceedings served to point out that there is a solution to life’s suffering and struggles related to drug and alcohol addiction. There is a chance to reclaim a loving relationship with family and friends. There is a chance to live a productive, enjoyable life when there is a workable method of overcoming addiction like the Narconon program with its track record of forty-three years helping addicts achieve that drug-free life they have been dreaming of for so long.
For information on Narconon’s successful drug treatment and educational program and materials, contact Narconon Arrowhead at 1-800-468-6933 or visit their website at http://www.stopaddiction.com/.
