Starting about four years ago, 420 has taken on a different meaning as enterprising music promotion companies began parlaying modest 420 gatherings lasting a few minutes into massive Rave music festivals lasting from dusk to dawn, attended by 10,000 plus ravers. Another change, the drug involved was no longer cannabis; it was ecstasy – far more lucrative, far more tenacious and far, far more devastating in its effects.

Certain adjustments had to be made – such as this year when April 20th falls on a Wednesday. 420 festivals require a recovery day from the drug which makes going to work the next day highly unappealing for even the heartiest of ravers. Promoters have the solution – call the event a 420 Festival, then stage their usual rave acts on April 23rd. Today there are 420 Festivals taking place from Atlanta, Georgia, to Denver, Colorado, to multiple locations in California. The numbers involved are massive compared to earlier versions of 420, which means big take for promoters and even bigger take for ecstasy dealers.

The connection between 420 and cannabis goes back to five high school boys in an obscure northern California town. They searched for a hidden abandoned marijuana farm every day for more than a year. Since their meeting place was a certain wall, they called themselves “the Waldos,” and their meeting time, 4:20, became code for cannabis. Through a bizarre series of events and associations, the code word spread citywide, then nationwide, and internationally until ultimately 420 was part of the drug’s lexicon and April 20th (4/20) the day for cannabis users worldwide to amass and smoke pot in public.

The Waldos themselves have long since moved beyond their adolescent relationship with cannabis, as evidenced by this statement from one of the five, “I’ve got to run a business. I’ve got to stay sharp. Seems like everybody I know who smokes daily, or many times in a week, it seems like there’s always something going wrong with their life, professionally, or in their relationships, or financially or something.”

Narconon® Drug Prevention Specialist, Bobby Wiggins, says, “These are exactly the kind of effects that can be expected when pot smoking dominates someone’s life. As for what we can expect from more ecstasy use, life mishaps are not the problem. The problem ecstasy presents is unpredictable overdose on a drug that is used by dealers to lure the unwary into addiction to even harder substances.”

Narconon has been helping people get free of the need to take drugs for more than four decades.

If you want to help someone move beyond cannabis, ecstasy or any other drug like “the Waldos” have, contact 1-800-775-8750, email info@narconon.org or visit www.narconon.org .

Narconon and the Narconon logo are trademarks and service marks owned by Association for Better Living and Education International and are used with its permission.

News Source: Narconon International :: This press release was issued on behalf of the news source by Send2Press® Newswire, a service of Neotrope®. View all current news at: Send2PressNewswire.com .

The way to stop drug addiction before it starts is through effective drug education. Narconon, which was established in 1966, delivers drug prevention and education lectures to schools, community groups and businesses. As research statistic show that many new drug users begin at the age of 12, Narconon focuses its lectures on school aged children and over 3.5 million children have been reached.

Narconon lectures are unique from ordinary drug education talks because the drug prevention specialists reach the children at their reality level and get them participating as well as learning about the dangers of drugs. In New England the Narconon Drug Education and Prevention group reached over 2500 people in 2009 in the New England area informing them on the dangers of drugs and steering them into leading drug-free lives.

As many in our nation have already traveled the road of drug addiction, it is important to have a program that successfully rehabilitates a drug addict. Narconon drug rehabilitation does just that with several exact steps within the overall program handling both the physical and mental aspects of addiction.

The Narconon program has been widely delivered throughout the Eastern United States in 2009 at 6 different drug rehabilitation facilities ranging from Michigan in the north to Georgia and Florida in the south and Louisiana to the west. These Narconon centers have effectively freed over 240 people from drug addiction in 2009 and set them on the road to living happy, successful, drug-free lives.

Narconon graduates rave about the program as this graduate states, “I came into Narconon a broke down person who had no control or power over choice…It’s not just drugs that got handled, it was my life. Instead of doubting myself I know I can now achieve all my goals. This was the best decision I have ever made. I have my life back!”

Another Narconon graduate in 2009 says, “I wanted to detox from cocaine…I signed up for the [Narconon] program and was informed that there was hard work involved. I saw remarkable results in the students that were graduating and was inspired. The course work is where the biggest gains for me were made. I found out about the whys and wherefores of human behavior especially relating to basic life skills…I am honored and very grateful for the new life that I have received.”

Narconon program has been successfully saving lives since 1966 and has more than 120 centers in 50 different countries. Narconon has been delivering successful drug rehabilitation and education services in the eastern United States for 10 years and will continue its expansion this coming year and for many years to come.

If you know of someone struggling with addiction or want more information on the Narconon program or on drug education, prevention and rehabilitation contact us at 877-237-3307 or visit www.narcononeastus.org .

News Source: Narconon International

All referenced product names, and other marks, are trademarks of their respective owners. This story was issued by Send2Press®. Copyright © 2010 Neotrope® News Network.

Narconon drug rehabilitation and education staff have grown to over 1,200 in the last ten years. Many are graduates of the Narconon program, which has never given up and never will on the concept that a recovering alcoholic or other drug addict can achieve a stably drug-free and ethical life. Some others also believe this, not enough. Another hypothesis circulates that addiction is a chronic relapsing disease. This is only a theory, not a law.

The Narconon drug rehab program’s 13,373 lives saved just this last decade are a testimony that recovery is possible. Stable, life-enriching, full recovery – it’s over, drugs are behind you, you don’t have to wake up or fall asleep anymore worried to the bone that drugs will drag you down tomorrow. Why? Because the drugs aren’t talking to you anymore. Their voice has been stilled, and your own self has found its own voice.

The Narconon sauna detoxification program through a regimen of exercise, nutrition, and repeated sweating in low-heat, ventilated dry saunas vaporizes the “drug voice.” Once the residual metabolites are gone, their silent whisper in the back of the head loses the power of its effect. Then the rest of the Narconon life skills program kicks in, and the recovering addict turns himself inside out to become a new person once and for forever.

To save 13,000 lives since 2000 Narconon needed many new centers, and our staff plus volunteers, some being graduates or their parents, have opened 38 new drug rehab centers, 4 of them out-patient, comprising 1,200 new beds since 1999. Fourteen of our new centers were in the USA, including Narconon Arrowhead, our international training center. The others span from Siberia to South Africa, from Nepal to Egypt.

There are more than drug rehab graduate stories to tell. There are the stories of those persons who did not give up on the addict, who convinced him or her to keep on, keep trying — because it’s worth it, you can do it. And they did. Congratulations to the heroes who helped them do so.

Of course, there’s more to this ongoing saga. Visit www.narconon.org .

News Source: Narconon International

All referenced product names, and other marks, are trademarks of their respective owners. This story was issued by Send2Press®. Copyright © 2009 Neotrope® News Network.

The event is scheduled to take place on December 18, 2009 at 4 p.m. EST and will be broadcast live via the Internet. There will be some special guest speakers and two musical guests, all of who are volunteering their time to help celebrate a drug free holiday season.

One musical guest in particular is a very talented young French Canadian singer, Lea Morgane, who will be signing a variety of beautiful songs, which are sure to wow the audience. The first local Narconon choir, whom will add a little something extra to the event, will back up these two musical guests.

“We are very excited about this and truly hope we can spread the joy of the holiday season to all of our students, their families, and loved ones,” said Bernard. “This is now Narconon Trois-Rivieres’ fourth live graduation broadcast and it’s shaping up to be an emotional and joyous holiday celebration.”

To tune in and watch the Narconon Live Holiday Extravaganza, you can visit http://www.narconon.ca/live .

News Source: Narconon Trois-Rivieres

All referenced product names, and other marks, are trademarks of their respective owners. This story was issued by Send2Press®. Copyright © 2009 Neotrope® News Network.

But Michael’s parents continued to email. His mother told counselors at Narconon Drug Rehab of Georgia: “We did not know if he was getting the emails but told him how much we loved him and gave news about the family. We begged him to let us know if he was alive.” But there was no word.

Meanwhile, Michael was busy feeding his drug addiction. Too ashamed to call his family, he describes himself as “out of my mind with Oxycontin and Xanax.”

One day Michael’s father e-mailed the news that his grandmother was dying. The doctors felt she was only staying alive to see her grandson.

To their surprise, they got an e-mail asking for help. Michael had taken so much Oxycontin and Xanax that he was fearful he might be dead before they received his email but wasn’t ready give up. Alone and embarrassed, he prayed for help.

Overjoyed, Michael’s mother spent 13 hours online looking for the right addiction treatment center. “Of all the places I called, Narconon of Georgia was first to get back to me. The intake counselor even offered to go pick my son up in another city and their success rate was impressive.”

The next day her son arrived at Narconon drug rehab.

He recently graduated the Narconon program and for the first time in years, Michael will be with his family over the holidays.

His mother says, “It is so wonderful to have the old Michael back. He has a sense of humor and looks us in the eye.”

His father adds, “In the past years I would cover up for Michael. Now I am proud to describe what he has accomplished by going through Narconon Drug Rehab of Georgia. What he did in the past may have been an embarrassment to him, but when I look at him today I am proud of what he has accomplished and how the Narconon program has helped him so much in such a short amount of time. He has a whole lifetime ahead and he is ready to face the world.”

“Christmas has already happened for us.”

Narconon of Georgia is offering holiday scholarships. More information: www.drugsno.com .

To view a video news release (VNR) for this story, go here:
www.Send2Press.com/newswire/2009-11-1119-003.shtml .

News Source: Narconon Drug Rehab Georgia

All referenced product names, and other marks, are trademarks of their respective owners. This story was issued by Send2Press®. Copyright © 2009 Neotrope® News Network.

“I woke up, blinked once and the next thing I knew I opened my eyes to my father on top of me giving me CPR. I saw tears streaming down his face and I asked ‘What’s going on?’” remarked Andrew as he shared of his near death experience.

“If my father hadn’t been home that day I would have died from a drug overdose.”

When asked if he thought prescription medication could actually harm him, Andrew admits at the time he thought it was safe. He has a different viewpoint now and has spent the last year helping other addicts get clean.

“Kids don’t have to worry about finding a scary dealer on the street. It’s much easier to simply open up their parent’s medicine cabinet.”

The alarming ease by which many Americans can get a prescription for powerful pain medications and psychiatric drugs can be attributed to the fact that there has been a 150 percent rise in the numbers of prescriptions written as a consequence of intense marketing from the pharmaceutical industry.

In a recent press conference Joseph A. Califano Jr., CASA’s director and president said: “Aggressive marketing of controlled drugs to physicians … is designed to increase profits with little regard for abuse potential, Our nation is in the throes of an epidemic of controlled prescription drug abuse and addiction.”

The Office of National Drug Control Policy has begun to spend its entire budget for media campaigns directed at parents – $14 million since 2008 – on the abuse of prescription and over the counter drug.

As pharmaceutical abuse increases, our safety measures have to increase commensurately. Over the Counter and Prescription Drug abuse is life threatening. Concerned citizens and legislatures have done an excellent job of getting drunken driving under control.

We can put a major dent in the abuse of medications by insisting in a similar way that our citizens and legislatures take heed of the dangers of medicine, whether it is prescribed or over the counter.

More information: www.drugsno.com/addiction.htm .

View VNR (video news release) for this story:
www.Send2Press.com/newswire/2009-11-1106-002.shtml .

Additional Narconon of Georgia news/RSS:
http://profiles.send2press.com/Narconon-of-Georgia.shtml .

News Source: Narconon Drug Rehab Georgia

All referenced product names, and other marks, are trademarks of their respective owners. This story was issued by Send2Press®. Copyright © 2009 Neotrope® News Network.

The National Family Partnership’s (NFP) Red Ribbon Week is considered the nationwide observance of drug prevention activities and is held during the end of October each year, which began in 1988. Narconon staff and volunteer activities stretched the span of the country to participate in helping kids stay away from drugs.

In California, Narconon Vista Bay received a proclamation from the Mayor of Seaside City and delivered drug prevention presentations to hundreds of students in the local area. In Oklahoma and Texas, Narconon Arrowhead drug education staff visited several schools and presented to over 1,500 elementary, middle and high school students.

Narconon Georgia held a large event for Red Ribbon week at Woodruff Park in Atlanta complete with live music and educational literature for the many who attended, ranging from government workers, to tourists and students, who combined to promote a drug-free world.

Narconon Freedom Treatment Center in Michigan held an open house and helped educate people in the local community about the true dangers of drugs and addiction, while Narconon Hawaii provided prevention seminars to local ninth- and tenth-grade students and had them sign a drug-free pledge. One student was quoted as saying, “My thoughts changed because I feel that taking drugs can only lessen your chances of being successful and making life harder for you to live. Staying away from drugs can help me live an easier life and make better choices.”

In southern California Narconon San Diego was out in the community with participants signing drug-free pledges and Narconon Drug Prevention and Education in Los Angeles spoke with more than 2,000 students throughout Southern California just that week.

Drug education and demand reduction activities are vital to stopping addiction before it starts, and Narconon is proud to have worked with millions of young people throughout the world over the last four decades to help them learn the truth about drugs and what they do to a person’s mind and body.

According to a study of Narconon’s drug education program published in the Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention and Policy peer-reviewed journal, “…youths who received the Narconon drug education curriculum showed reduced drug use compared with controls across all drug categories tested. The strongest effects were seen in all tobacco products and cigarette frequency followed by marijuana. There were also significant reductions measured for alcohol and amphetamines. The program also produced changes in knowledge, attitudes and perception of risk.”

For more information about Narconon education and rehabilitation programs, visit www.narconon.org. To learn more about Red Ribbon Week visit www.nfp.org .

News Source: Narconon International

All referenced product names, and other marks, are trademarks of their respective owners. This story was issued by Send2Press®. Copyright © 2009 Neotrope® News Network.

“It’s becoming an all too common scenario throughout Canada right now; our Intake Counselors receive calls every day from OxyContin addicts looking for ways to get off the drug,” commented Nick Hayes, a certified chemical dependency counselor with Narconon Trois-Rivieres. “The typical scenario is a person will require these drugs for pain management, but will ignore the Doctors warning about their addictive potential,” said Hayes.

In this in-depth interview Cliff takes the viewer step-by-step, beginning at his car accident and going on to how he started to “doctor shop” to acquire his prescriptions for OxyContin. He describes in great detail the initial high and feeling he got from taking Percocet and how eventually he needed something stronger from his doctor, which was later OxyContin. “It was a feel-good feeling, like something I never experienced before,” stated Cliff in the interview.

Because OxyContin is a time-release formula over twelve hours, most addicts will have to chew, crush up and snort, or inject the drug to get the immediate euphoric effect of the Oxycodone, which is the primary pain reliever in OxyContin.

Cliff is one of the many people today who has successfully beaten a potentially deadly OxyContin addiction and has gone on to live a drug-free life. Today Cliff is now working his full-time job, but has created a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center referral Web site (www.substanceabusecounselor.net) that specifically helps addicts find the right treatment options.

For more information about drug or alcohol addiction, Narconon Trois-Rivieres can be reached at 1-877-782-7409, or www.narconon.ca .

View a video news release (VNR) for this story:
www.send2press.com/newswire/2009-11-1104-001.shtml .

News Source: Narconon Trois-Rivieres

All referenced product names, and other marks, are trademarks of their respective owners. This story was issued by Send2Press®. Copyright © 2009 Neotrope® News Network.

Narconon of Georgia, in conjunction with local law enforcement, has spearheaded the effort in Georgia to make people more aware of the dangers of prescription drug abuse and educating teens and parents alike.

“The drug education we provide to schools, churches, and local support groups has shifted some-what in the past few years,” comments Gordon Weinand, Public Relations for Narconon Drug Rehab of Georgia. “Whereas education on the signs of cocaine and heroin abuse are still needed, we are now focusing on warning children and parents that prescription drugs, misused, can be just as deadly and addictive.”

A recent survey by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) found that one in five teens can get prescription drugs within an hour and the most common source is their own home or friends. Many feel that taking prescription drugs or over-the-the-counter medications such as cough medicine to get high is safe, an idea that is very dangerous.

One idea that is gaining momentum is the idea of a “prescription drug buy-back.” Sheriff’s departments and local communities offer to “buy back” unused prescription drugs, thus taking them out of circulation. Commonly known as “Operation Medicine Cabinet,” communities are taking unused prescription drugs out of homes where they can be abused, and safely disposed of.

Mary Rieser, Executive Director for Narconon Georgia (www.drugsno.com), is pleased with the results. “While we see more people coming in for prescription drug abuse, it is gratifying to see communities around the country taking action to educate and prevent the abuse of prescription drugs.”

Prescription drug buy-back and drop-off programs have sprung up across the country:
* Pasco County Florida
* Warren County Ohio
* Rowan County, North Carolina
* Collier County Florida
* Lubbock, Texas
* Scott County Iowa
* Broward County Florida
* Rock Island County Iowa
* Watauga County, North Carolina
* L.A. County, California, drug-drop-off program
* New Jersey DEA even has a state-wide drug-drop-off program with their own website.

The goal of these drug buy-back programs is to enlighten the community on the dangers of prescription drug abuse and to provide a safe means to curtail it. Communities have reported over 40,000 pills dropped of; one community reported over a ton of prescription medications turned in.

Some kids will already need treatment and their families will be provided with information as to how to get it.

For more information on “Operation Medicine Cabinet” and how you can have this campaign in your community, contact Narconon of Georgia at 770-379-0208.

News Source: Narconon Drug Rehab Georgia

All referenced product names, and other marks, are trademarks of their respective owners. This story was issued by and is copr. © 2009 Send2Press®, a service of Neotrope®.

TAGS: operation medicine cabinet, drug rehab georgia.

Visitors were not disappointed in the colorful display. Children signed a pledge promising to remain drug-free and study hard in school, while adults learned about the signs of drug abuse and how to talk to their kids about drugs. After signing the drug-free pledge the kids got a free toy and parents left armed with literature.

“Many of the adults who stop by are grateful to learn about prescription drug abuse and how easy it is for children to become addicted to medicine found in the family medicine cabinet,” commented Gordy Weinand, spokesperson for Narconon Drug Rehab Georgia. “The kids learn a lot about the dangers of drug abuse, sign our drug-free pledge, and get a prize. We have a lot of fun, while teaching a serious topic at the same time.”

As studies show, drug abuse of hard street drugs is on the decline while prescription drug abuse is a growing problem that if not halted will be at epidemic proportions.

“It seems that more and more news stories are about a celebrity dying of prescription drug addiction or being treated for it,” comments Mr. Weinand. “Michael Jackson, Heath Ledger, Burt Reynolds, people you would never imagine having a problem with prescription drugs are finding themselves in trouble because they didn’t know any better. We aim to change that.”

This is the second year that Narconon Georgia has participated in the county fair, and thousands have stopped by the drug education booth and expressed their support and approval.

“We personally talked to so many people during the week of the fair we literally couldn’t keep count. People kept asking for materials. We gave so many out that we ran low and had to quickly order more from the printer. Everyone wanted information about drugs,” one volunteer stated. “Narconon really is spreading the word about addiction and recovery through its many educational programs. It was great to see our graduates out in the public eye and not ashamed to say ‘Hey! I am a Narconon graduate, let me help you!’”

The county fair has served as a perfect venue for drug education as in a relaxed, cheerful atmosphere a very serious subject can be addressed in a positive way. The kids and family learned something valuable without feeling they were being lectured to.

More information: www.drugsno.com .

To view a VNR (video news release) for this story:
www.send2press.com/newswire/2009-09-0923-006.shtml .

All referenced product names, and other marks, are trademarks of their respective owners. This story was issued by and is copr. © 2009 Send2Press®, a service of Neotrope®.

TAGS: drug education booth narconon rehab georgia

News Source: Narconon Drug Rehab Georgia