http://www.ocweekly.com/ink/05/14/cover-kappeler.php

...and, of course, my response!

I was very surprised when I read this article, 'The Rich Versus the Addicts" in December's online issue. Reporter Nan Kappeler did not do her research!

NarCONon, the Scientology front group with a con in the middle, is not to be confused with Narcotics Anonymous, or Nar anon, the twelve step program and support groups. Good grief, anyone with internet access would quickly discover that Narconon is nothing more than a branch of the so-called "church" of Scientology!

The resemblance of Narconon to Narcotics Anonymous is a deliberate ploy to confuse the two. I am astonished that Ms. Kappeler so easily fell for it.

Narconon has been debunked repeatedly as an unscientific, dangerous treatment. Their promotional material is full of misinformation and carefully massaged statistics. For example, addressing their "70% success rate," it was found that persons who failed to complete the program were dropped from the data. By including them, we find that Narconon has a measly 2% success rate, well below the statistic of people who quit drugs with no program at all.

Narconon's drug education program was recently expelled from San Francisco and Los Angeles public schools, after an evaluation by five independent experts in the field of drug abuse. The San Francisco Chronicle quoted Steve Heilig, director of health and education for the San Francisco Medical Society. The Narconon Drug Prevention and Education program ""often exemplifies the outdated, non-evidence-based and sometimes factually inaccurate approach, which has not served students well for decades," Mr. Heilig concluded.

12 step programs rely upon a higher power to help recovering substance abusers. Narconon relies upon L. Ron Hubbard, toxic doses of vitamins, and hours of Scientology training. 12 step practitioners recognize that recovery is an ongoing process. Narconon practitioners, who pay $20,000 for the program, often trade their drug addiction for a Scientology addiction.

Non-Scientologists, and your reporter, would benefit from a google search linking Narconon with Scientology, fraud, SFUSD, liver damage, niacin and blindness.

Former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop had this to say about the detoxification process used in Narconon, "My recommendation about detoxification is to keep away from it. You don't need it. I'm not sure it does what this book describes. It's dangerous. I don't think L. Ron Hubbard has credibility in the scientific world. The author's suggestions about detoxification can be detrimental to your health."

There are many websites dedicated to debunking Narconon's claims. All one need to is to look beyond the glossy promotional material churned out by Narconon to understand what this group really is, a front group of Scientology.

barbara graham -- --barb Chaplain,ARSCC

"Imagine a church so dangerous, you must sign a release form before you can receive its "spiritual assistance." This assistance might involve holding you against your will for an indefinite period, isolating you from friends and family, and denying you access to appropriate medical care. You will of course be billed for this treatment - assuming you survive it. If not, the release form absolves your caretakers of all responsibility for your suffering and death.

Welcome to the Church of Scientology."

--Dr. Dave Touretzky Peter Alexander