policyOn April 24, 2013, National Drug Control Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske released the current Administration’s 2013 National Drug Control Strategy.

The strategy calls for drug policy reform rooted in scientific research on addiction, evidence-based prevention programs, increased access to treatment, emphasis on recovery, and criminal justice reform.

 “A Drug Policy for the 21st Century”

Dubbed “A Drug Policy for the 21st Century”, the Administration unveiled its plan to reduce drug use and its consequence. In 2007 alone, illicit drug use cost the United States more than $193 billion in lost productivity, healthcare, and criminal justice costs. And the human cost is far greater in terms of damage and suffering, with drug-induced overdose deaths now surpassing homicides and car crashes as the leading cause of injury death in America.

The new drug policy, the National Drug Control Strategy, is reported to be a science-based plan guided by contemporary research on substance abuse, and provides an evidence-based alternative to an “enforcement-centric war on drugs” approach to drug policy.

Let’s take a look at 3 things the new substance abuse policy reform will encompass.

Prevention Over Incarceration

The drug policy plan seeks reform in emphasizing prevention over incarceration. Preventing drug use and abuse through drug prevention education of our children and youth is a long proven successful action in preventing drug use before it ever begins.  The plan promotes expansion of national and community-based programs designed to reach young people in schools, on college campuses, and in the workplace.

Expanding Access to Treatment

Currently, an estimated 22 million Americans abuse drugs and alcohol, with an estimated 1-in-10 actually receiving drug rehab treatment.  Due to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, insurance companies will be required to cover treatment for addiction just as they would cover any other chronic disease.

A “Smart on Crime” Approach

The link to drug and crimes has long been known, and the Administration acknowledges that addressing serious drug related violence and crime remains a vital component of drug enforcement.  At the same time, the new drug plan policy emphasizes the expansion of “smart on crime” strategies to help break the revolving door cycle of drug use-crime- arrest-incarceration.

A Tried and True Approach

Although it is apparent that we as a nation must take effective action to curtail the ever increasing devastation caused by substance abuse, let us not forget the tried and true solutions that we already have in place and functioning, and available for our immediate use.  Let’s take a look at the just published compilation of 40 years of Narconon studies, evaluations and reviews of Narconon drug rehabilitation results, a tried and true approach to effective rehabilitation and recovery.

Let’s start by defining recovery by using the 2012 working definition chosen by SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration): “A process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential”. 

Additionally, SAMSHA outlines 4 major components of a life in recovery:

  • HEALTH, as manifested in many forms, including abstinence from alcohol, illicit drugs, and non-prescribed medications.
  • HOME: Having a stable and safe place to live.
  • PURPOSE, which would include having meaningful daily activities, such as a job, school, family caretaking, creative endeavors, gainful employment or independence of income.
  • COMMUNITY, that is, relationships and social networks that provide support, friendship, love and hope.

So how does one measure the fact of recovery, or one’s success in helping produce stable recovery after drug rehabilitation service?

SAMSHA’s four components of recovery suggest workable, objective measurements of success.  These would include:

  • Drug abstinence
  • Having a job or returning to school
  • Staying out of prison and/or being arrest-free
  • Good relations with family and friends

The compilation of Narconon studies demonstrates exactly these components. Narconon collected 23 different studies and evaluations, whether formal or informal, large or small, and spanning nearly 40 years.  Charting them, it can be seen that Narconon programs have been producing consistent results in terms of:

  • Narconon graduates staying out of trouble, measured by the statistics of not returning to prison, and/or being arrest-free.
  • Narconon graduates functioning well in society, measure by returning to work or school.
  • Narconon graudates staying off drugs.

This compilation includes concise details of each study, including when it was, who did the study, the sample size of the group, what was measured and how, and in what time frame.  Aside from being extremely interesting data overall, it is a true measure of the rehabilitation and recovery results currently available to those in need, and seeking proven treatment.

For further information, you can access this compilation of 23 studies at http://www.narconon.org/about-narconon/40-years-evidence-recovery.html

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