readingNarconon Arrowhead, the Oklahoma-based long-term residential rehabilitation center which delivers the drug-free Narconon program, just released its newest The Life Cycle and Mechanics of Addiction series. Gary W. Smith, Executive Director of Narconon Arrowhead and author of the publication, shares the knowledge garnered from his decades of experience and success in the field of chemical dependency, drug rehabilitation and education.

Three Different Schools of Thought

The recently released publication presents a succinct and easily understood overview of the different schools of thought currently in vogue. The field of chemical dependency and drug rehabilitation is currently awash with these varied schools of thought seeking to explain the source of addiction and how to resolve it.
Smith discusses the “disease concept”, the school of thought embracing the notion that addiction is an inherited disease; that the person is chronically ill at a genetic level. Even those who experience long periods of sobriety are not exempted, according to the disease theory.
Another school of thought he presents is the philosophy which argues that “addiction is a dual problem”, comprised of mental and physical dependency on chemical compounds and stemming from a pre-existing mental disorder.
Yet a third philosophy seeking to explain addiction and its resolution is the concept that a dependency on chemicals leads to “permanent chemical imbalances in the brain” requiring treatment with psychotropic medications—drugs which act upon the mind, altering behavior and mood.
While Smith grants that there is some scientific research that supports each of the above-named concepts, he points-out the truth that none of them “are absolute”. He notes that addiction treatment programs which are based on these schools of thought result in recovery rates of just 16 to 20 percent based on a review of national averages.

A Fourth School of Thought

Smith presents a fourth school of thought on addiction and its resolution, and one which has proven more accurate. In order to understand it, a person needs to understand the life cycle of addiction.
Experience and empirical evidence (derived from experiment and observation rather than theory) demonstrates this information is universally applicable to addiction, regardless of which theory is used in explaining the phenomenon (fact or observable event) of chemical dependency.
It is the life cycle and mechanics of addiction which Smith presents in easy-to-understand language, permitting the layman or any person seeking factual and vital information on addiction that is the essence of this publication. And for those who struggle with addiction in their lives, or experience the adverse effects of it by connections to others who are addicted, this information is potentially life-changing.
As an inherent part of the life cycle and mechanics of addiction, Smith addresses the downward spiral of addiction, wherein those who have started down the path of addiction accumulate unto themselves so much damage, both physically and mentally, that they experience a general and overall deterioration in the quality of their lives.
The author notes that once a person is caught in the downward spiral of addiction, he or she ultimately is left with three possible outcomes, that of sobriety, prison or death.

Highly Recommended

The Life Cycle and Mechanics of Addiction is highly recommended reading, as well as a valuable resource for anyone who desires or needs to understand addiction—what causes it; why an addict or alcoholic won’t or can’t quit; why a person relapses after rehab or periods of sobriety; how to achieve and maintain sobriety; and how to thus help an addict reclaim his or her life.
With substance abuse and addiction on the rise nationally and worldwide, it is imperative that our understanding of its mechanics and its resolution become broadly known and used. The future and wellbeing of our society is at stake.

The publication is available from Narconon Arrowhead here.