Narconon: The Changing Conditions in Life Course
A common denominator in many addictions is that the drug user found a way to escape from life’s problems by using drugs or alcohol. Maybe when he (or she) first used drugs, it was to feel better or stop being bored. Or maybe it looked like one’s friends were having fun so he just joined in.
But heavy drug abuse will create problems in anyone’s life. As the problems mount, a drug user will find escape in getting high again. Once he’s high, he won’t remember the problems or won’t care.
For a recovering addict to stay sober, he is going to have to get much more capable at dealing with problems in life. He needs to know how to solve problems and have confidence in his abilities so he isn’t tempted to just run away from them.
Learning the Skills to Repair a Life
Upon completing the previous steps of the Narconon program, a person has typically regained the ability to think more clearly, he has overcome his intense cravings, he has learned how to face people and communicate so he can interact with others much better, his perceptions are brighter, and he has found relief from damaging relationships and the harm he has done to others. He is in a very good position to now look out in life and learn how to put that life back together.
Doing so means that he will have to reach out to his family and close friends and put things right. He will have to look at how he has harmed his community, how he may have neglected his own children.
He’s going to need tools in order to change his condition in each of these areas. He gets these tools on the Changing Conditions in Life Course.
Fundamentals of Problem Solving
The variety of problems life may present can be diverse, so each person is taught fundamental approaches to resolving situations like:
- Relationship conflicts
- Financial difficulties
- Problems with employers or authorities
- Setbacks in work or personal goals
- Negative pressure from peers
The fundamental tools taught on this course are flexible, allowing them to be applied to any area of life. They build on the communication and confronting skills that were learned earlier on the program and tap into the individual’s greater integrity and self-respect.
Each person learns how to analyze a situation to determine its severity, which then dictates the type of problem-solving tool should be utilized. He then learns step-by-step procedures that can enable him to turn a negative situation around to a much more desirable one.
After the basic theory of these techniques is taught, each person then gains practice using what he has learned by locating the areas in his life that need repair. Working with another student and supervised by experienced staff, he then uses his new skills to restore his relationships and repair parts of life that suffered harm or neglect. It is common for each person to feel great relief and a renewed interest in the future.
These are key skills that will be used by each person to stay sober when life deals a blow. This is how the Narconon program enables the majority of its graduates to maintain sobriety. The program provides life skills that really work.
