Narconon® Drug Education

Narconon staff believe that effective drug education is vital if the number of people being attracted to drug abuse each year is to be decreased. Narconon staff offer drug education through presentations in both public and private schools, juvenile halls and camps, youth groups and civic organizations and has considered this a priority since 1979.

Even in the area of drug education, L. Ron Hubbard's discoveries provide new insights about how to better inform children and adults concerning the harm that drugs cause. Narconon drug education has proved highly effective based both on the positive responses of participants and on independent evaluations. One independent study of Narconon's drug education services conducted in 1989 by the Foundation for Advancement in Science and Education (FASE) measured the attitude change of students from the 2nd through 12th grade after hearing a Narconon drug education lecture and concluded:

"Narconon's drug education program is effective in teaching students about the adverse consequences of drug abuse and has a very positive influence on the attitudes of students towards drugs. Students in the upper grades were well aware of the presence of the problem. What they wanted were hard facts on the real-life consequences of abuse. The most dramatic effect on attitude (was) observed in the border-line group of students - those indicating that they might use drugs in the future. The changes were quite pronounced: comments indicating that they would now never use drugs were common."

Of the students in this category, 86% indicated that they were less likely to use drugs following the presentation. Such responses to the lectures are common, an indication that they are revealing, not only for students, but also for adults who hear them. Narconon staff believe that joint efforts are vital in combating the war on drugs in society today.

Drug Education Information on this page (click on the red links below):

Links to information about commonly used drugs

Narconon Staff - the people who know how to talk to kids about drugs.

What Professionals are saying about Narconon Drug Education

Know the Facts

Facts About Alcohol

Drugs and the Mind

Common Questions Kids Ask About Drugs

Talking to Kids About Drugs

Glossary of Drug Terms

Links:

NARCONON Staff - The people who know how to talk to kids about drugs.   

Bobby Wiggins, one of Narconon's premier prevention specialists, has been educating children and adults on substance abuse for over 15 years. During this period of time Narconon staff compiled hundreds of thousands of surveys from kids after the presentations. After review of over 750,000 of these it was found what was important to kids and what was not, as well as what facts made an impact on the kids to not use drugs. Bobby Wiggins has utilized this information and his skills to break the barriers of presenting the truth about drugs to kids from elementary through high school levels. Each presentation is designed to address the needs of the age group being talked to. They are fun, exciting and most of all the kids really learn the truth about drugs and this has an impact on their decision not to take them.
The presentations cover a wide variety of topics such as:

• How Drugs Affect the Body
• Conflict Resolution and Violence Prevention
• Achieving Your Goals in Life

to name a few. Now for the first time these live presentations are available on video. To ensure that parents are better equipped to help answer their children's questions about drugs, each video comes with its own handbook that provides vital information for parents. This information is the most up to date and should provide a much better understanding for kids and adults alike on the truth about drugs and the impact they have on our lives. Parents and kids are encouraged to write to Narconon Sydney for any additional information or questions that need answering.

What Professionals Are Saying About Narconon Drug Education

"I would like to thank you for your outstanding presentation. It was truly one of the most informative programs and a boost to the Boys & Girls Club. It's people like you that make a difference in a child's life."
Executive Director
Boys & Girls Club of Oyster Bay

"Mr. Wiggins was phenomenal in his approach to kids. He should be highly commended. Narconon is an excellent source of information and education for kids and their parents."
Principal
James L. Mulcahey School

"This Truth about Drugs presentation was the best of many talks about drugs that I have heard over my 30+ years as a school counselor."
Assistant Superintendent
Quabbin Regional School District

Know The Facts 

It is important for parents to know the facts about drugs in order to talk about them. While the subject of drugs is very specialized, we have compiled some basic facts that will assist parents to be more knowledgeable about them. These materials are based on the researches and discoveries of L. Ron Hubbard, whose works form the basis of the Narconon program. This handbook is designed to provide basic information and act as a reference manual for parents to use. In order to be more effective in talking to kids about drugs, parents are encouraged to get very familiar with this information so you use it. It is very important that you do not go past any words that you do not understand. Make sure you have a clear understanding of this material. A glossary is provided in the back of this book. You can consult a dictionary if you need to define other words that are not in the glossary.

Facts About Alcohol

The first alcoholic beverage was sampled many years before Christ. References to alcohol in India dating back two thousand years B.C. seem to verify this. How is it this substance has such ancient roots? As conjecture has it, ancient man would store fruits for weeks or months. When the fruit was eaten, the juice was found to make one drunk. This juice qualified as the first primitive wine. Fruits and other crops naturally turn to alcohol if kept long enough, a process called fermentation. In the fermentation process yeast converts sugar into a mix that contains as much as 15 percent alcohol. Wines are usually fermented from grapes, the best wines almost always are. Some wines are made from peaches, apricots and other fruits. Making beer is a little more complex. Barley and other grains are sprouted, toasted and formed into a mash by grinding them up with water. This mash naturally contains sugars. Flavorings are added such as hops and salts; yeast is added for fermentation. The word 'spirits' comes from ancient times when it was thought that supernatural powers were responsible for the strange effects of alcohol. Today 'spirits' refers to a group of alcoholic beverages containing higher percentages of alcohol. These drinks are made by a process caued distillation. Distillation is the process of heating a liquid and turning it into a vapor, then turning the vapor back into a liquid. Doing this creates a much,higher concentration of alcohol. Fermentation will only produce about 15 percent alcohol. Distilling a fermented liquid can result in a drink of as much as 50 percent alcohol. Distilled drinks are usually referred to by 'proof'. Proof is twice the alcohol content. Example: an 80 proof whiskey is 40 percent alcohol. The list of higher proof spirits includes: Gin, Bourbon, Vodka, Rum and Liqueurs.

Drugs And The Mind From the works of L. Ron Hubbard

The mind could be said to consist of visual pictures either of the past or of the physical universe. Close your eyes and think of a cat for a few seconds. Did you get a picture of a cat? it does not matter if the picture was very clear or just a hazy impression. We can all do this to some degree. You have the ability to call up pictures from your past in order to draw conclusions about what you are now looking at. The mind contains a consecutive record of a person's past - almost like a motion picture film except that these pictures are three dimensional, and contain 52 perceptions. Drugs impede learning. Learning rate - the length of time it takes someone to learn something - has been proven to be slower in drug users than others. Actual tests show that the learning rate of someone who has been on drugs is much lower than that of a person who hasn't. Drugs, then, would prevent a person from becoming educated. There is even such a thing as a drug personality. It is artificial and is created by drugs. Drugs can apparently change the attitude of a person from his original personality to one secretly harboring hostilities and hatreds he does not permit to show on the surface. What this means is that drugs reduce a person's abilities. They make him less capable of succeeding and doing well in life. They make a person less able to be happy and achieve his goals. There is a lot of propaganda put out about some drugs, like how they can make a person more creative, or more aware. But these are all lies. Creativity, awareness and intelligence are the result of a mind in good condition, not one that has been messed up with drugs.

Common Questions Kids Ask About Drugs  

This is a compilation of some of the most frequently asked questions by kids after a presentation. This should give parents a valuable insight as to what kids want to know about. The answers are given to provide parents with information they can use to talk to kids about drugs.

Q) "Do drugs ruin your memory?"
A) Yes. When a person takes drugs the pictures recorded in their mind at that point in time are fuzzy or foggy or even blank. Some drugs scramble the sequence of pictures in the mind, making it hard to remember something that happened in the past.

Q) "If drugs are so bad, why do people sell them?"
A) Greed. Drugs are a multi-billion dollar industry and some people care more about themselves and money then they do about others.

Q. "if my mother or father have a drink, will it hurt them?"
A. To say that something is all bad would be silly. For instance, it has been said that a very small amount of alcohol helps blood circulation and food digestion. But many believe that it is better not to drink at all because a problem with alcohol may develop and often does with many people.

Q) "What is the worst drug?"
A) A drug called LSD (or acid). LSD scrambles the pictures in the mind which can be very difficult to overcome and affects the person for a very long time.

Q) "How do people get addicted to drugs?"
A) Drugs kill all types of pain: physical, emotional, mental. When the drug wears off the pain comes back stronger. The person doesn't notice the difference, but needs more drugs to kill the pain. The more he takes, the more he wants. Until finally he doesn't just want the drug, he needs it to get rid of the pain created by the drug.

Q) "I heard that marijuana makes you more creative, is that true?"
A) No. It appears to the drug user that he's more creative because he feels more open about things, especially the first few times he uses the drug. Drugs are basically poisons, and they have been proven to kill creativity.

Q) "If alcohol is so bad, why do so many people use it?"
A) One reason is advertising. The alcohol industry has been around a long time. There is an enormous amount of money being made from the sale of alcohol and these sales are promoted through advertising. The beer commercials are some of the most expensive ones.

Q) "Are drugs expensive?"
A) Yes. Besides the possibility of dying from taking them, we have known people who have spent over 1/2 a million dollars on drugs.

Q) "Do men use drugs more than women?"
A) It's about the same. Men, women, young, old, rich and poor. All kinds of people have problems with drugs.

Talking To Kids About Drugs

• At this point it is very important for the parent to simply listen to the child's response without interrupting them. Give them your full attention, no matter what they say, be patient and listen carefully.
• When they have, finished telling you the good things they have heard about drugs we have found it is simply best to say 'Thank You' or 'I understand' to the communication they just gave you. This helps give your child confidence that they can talk to you and that you are interested in what they have to say. it's like having communication with your best friend, only this one happens to be your child.
• Now that they have told you what they heard that was positive about drugs, it is time to get them the correct information. Remember, the objective here is to give the child correct information so they can make sound decisions on their own. Have you ever seen a child's attitude when they decide on something? We have found that when a child is given the accurate information about drugs the attitude about them changes and they make their own decisions not to use them.

QUESTIONS

Glossary Of Drug Terms

Alcohol: The world's most popular drug, legally used in most countries. Alcohol is produced through the fermentation of fruits, vegetables and grains.
Amphetamines: Often called 'speed', or 'Meth' this drug is a synthetically produced Central Nervous System (CNS) stimulant with cocaine-like effects.
Amyl Nitrite: This drug is a yellowish, volatile, inflammable liquid with a fruity odor called 'snappers' or 'poppers', as they come in glass capsules that are broken. It is used for heart problems as it dilates the coronary arteries, allowing more oxygen to reach the heart. Currently, other vasodilators are preferred such as nitroglycerin "poppers". They are often used in an effort to enhance sexual climax.
Antibiotics: These are anti-infection drugs that inhibit the growth of or destroy micro-organisms and are used extensively in treating bacteria-caused diseases.
Antihistamines: These drugs block the effects of the allergy chemical, histamine, and relieves sneezing, watery eyes, runny nose and itching of the nose and throat.
Barbiturates: Drugs commonly used to calm nervousness and induce sleep and are derived from barbituric acid.
Belladonna: A poisonous hallucinogen found in the Atropa Belladonna plant, also known as 'devils herb' or 'deadly nightshade'.
Caffeine: The stimulant drug found in coffee.
Cocaine: A bitter, crystalline drug obtained from the dried leaves of the coca shrub; it is a local anesthetic and a dangerous, illegal stimulant; the primary psychoactive ingredient in the coca plant and a behavioral-affecting drug.
Codeine: This drug is a derivative of the opium poppy much like morphine, but is less powerful than morphine or heroin. Codeine is often used for cough relief.
"Crack" Cocaine: The chemical cocaine is found in the oil of the coca plant leaf; when processed, cocaine is chemically turned into a water-soluble powder form called "cocaine hydrochloride"; 'Crack' cocaine, much like "freebasing" cocaine, is cocaine powder that has been turned back into an oil form of smokable cocaine.
Cutting Agents: These are various powders that are used to dilute cocaine, heroin and other drugs used in powder form. Lactose ('milk sugar') is an example, another is mannitol.
Demerol: This is a synthetically produced narcotic that acts like morphine or heroin.
Dilaudid: This drug is a semi-synthetic opiate much like morphine.
Ergot: This is the name of the fungus Claviceps Purpurea that grows on wheat and rye plants and is often referred to as 'wheat rust'; LSD comes from the ergot fungus.
Hashish: Cannabis preparation more potent than marijuana. This comes from the resinous secretions of marijuana plant's flowering tops.
Hashish Oil: The extracted oil of the marijuana plant and is usually dark and sticky.
Baby Hawaiian Wood Rose: The seeds of this plant, commonly found in dried plant arrangements, have a lysergic acid derivative; The effects of this drug usually cause nausea and vomiting as well as hallucinations.
Heroin: A powerful narcotic that is derived from morphine.
Honey Oil: The same as hashish oil except it is clear and looks much like honey does.
Ice: A smokable form of methamphetamines. By smoking the drug the effect on the body occurs quicker.
Inhalants: There are a number of substances that produce strong intoxicating vapors such as paint, paint thinner, modeling glue, gas liquid whiteout, magic markers and many others. These substances are very dangerous and are often used by young kids.
Datura: This is a name for the plant Datura Stramonium or sometimes called 'locoweed'. This plant contains the powerful poisonous hallucinogens atropine, scopolamine and hyscocyamine.
LSD: These letters stand for d-lysergic acid diethylamide. This chemical was synthesized from ergot in 1938 by Albert Hofmann of the Sandoz Laboratories in Switzerland; a powerful hallucinogen whose effective dose is 200 to 400 micrograms, a mere speck in size.
Marijuana: The Cannabis Sativa plant that produces a mild euphoric effect. The active ingredient that produces the euphoric effect is Delta-1-tetrahydrocannobinal; THC. Marijuana can be eaten or smoked in cigarette form or pipes. The oily resin of the marijuana plant can be produced into hashish or hashish oil.
Mescaline: This is the major hallucinogenic chemical found in the Peyote cactus. Mescaline is not found in the Mescal cactus from which tequila is acquired. To add to the potential confusion here is another hallucinogen found in the highly toxic "mescal bean" of the evergreen shrub named Sophora secundiflora. These beans do not contain mescaline either, but do contain the highly toxic chemical "cystine".
MMDA/MDA: These two chemicals are derived from nutmeg or properly named Myristica Fragrans. They are both hallucinogenic and their use is illegal. Another derivative MDMA or 'Ecstasy' was one of the original 'designer drugs' in which the molecule was altered enough to get around the law, the effect was virtually the same as its predecessors.
Mornino Glory Seeds: Like the Hawaiian Baby Wood Rose, it contains a lysergic acid derivative and is hallucinogenic.
Morphine: Is a powerful narcotic that comes from the opium plant. Heroin is derived from morphine. This is named after the Greek god Morpheus, the god of sleep.
Nicotine: This is the drug found in tobacco.
PCP: The full name of this drug is phencyclidine. This drug was first developed to be used as a human anesthetic, used only today as a veterinary tranquilizer. Can be produced easily with common industrial chemicals.
Percodan: This is a synthetically produced narcotic that acts like morphine or heroin.
"Persian" heroin: This is heroin in a smokable form. Smoking heroin is often called 'chasing the dragon'.
Peyote: This is the name of the cacti that contain the hallucinogenic chemical mescaline.
Psilocybe: Often referred to as "magic mushrooms", this fungus contains two hallucinogens named. Psilocybin' and 'psilocin'. There are a number of other poisonous and hallucinogenic mushrooms.
Quaaludes: A synthetic sedative drug that was once thought to be safer than barbiturates and in the 1970s became the most frequently prescribed sedative-hypnotic.
Sinsemilla: There are male and female marijuana plants. The flowers of the female marijuana contain the highest concentration of THC. Growers have learned that if the female plants are not allowed to be pollinated the flowers cluster and excrete greater quantities of resin. Marijuana grown like this is called "Sinsemilla" which simply means "no seeds".
STP: This synthetically produced hallucinogen is a variation of mescaline and amphetamines. Generally less potent than LSD, but it takes longer to breakdown in the body and therefore lasts much longer, in some instances 24 hours to several days.
Tobacco: The leaves of the tobacco plant are smoked in cigarettes, cigars, pipes and chewed as chewing tobacco. Tobacco contains the drug nicotine.