How to Recover from Addiction without Drugs

As soon as an addicted person arrives at Narconon Ojai, it will be clear to him that this experience is going to be different from any other rehab he may have been to. His first stop will be the Withdrawal Unit where he will be given generous nutritional support and one-on-one help by the staff. Some people say that this withdrawal is the most tolerable one they have ever experienced, even if their last use of alcohol, heroin or meth was just a few hours before they arrived.

Once the person is eating and sleeping normally, he (or she) transfers to the rehab program itself. The first step of the program is a deep, sauna-based detoxification procedure that reaches deep into the person’s cells to draw out old, stored drug toxins. When drugs or alcohol were consumed, the person’s body broke down the substances so they could be eliminated from the body. But not every trace of the drugs was able to be eliminated – some traces got stored in the fatty tissues where they could remain for years. The procedure used to handle this is called the New Life Detoxification. By the end, each person gains a brighter outlook and clearer thinking.

These two steps at the beginning of the Narconon Ojai drug and alcohol rehabilitation program give each person a great start on their way to stable, drug-free recovery.

The goal of the Narconon program is to put a person in condition to live a productive, enjoyable and fully drug-free life. Over the fifty year history of this program, it’s never been necessary to give a person a drug like buprenorphine or methadone to help them learn how to manage this sober life. The next steps continue a person’s rehabilitation.

The Objectives

Years or even decades of addiction change a person. Maybe before drug use, the person was a bright, shining star, a person who “lit up a room and brought smiles to people’s faces.” But addiction has drained the life out of them. Their eyes are dull. Their burdens of guilt are great. Starting a new life without drugs means that they need to recover their interest and willingness to engage in life once again. Their next step is the Objectives — special and unique exercises that help a person let go of the pain of the past and focus their attention on the present, perhaps for the first time since addiction gripped them.

This series of precise exercises and procedures referred to as the objectives also help a person sharpen their perceptions of the present. Gradually, step by step, the trauma and loss of the past fades away. It’s replaced by a greater ability to control thoughts, emotions and decisions. These are all critically important abilities to build a future sobriety upon.

Life Skills

Once a person is back in his day-to-day life, there’s still going to be challenges. Upsets and setbacks will occur. A person has to know how life gets so tangled up that drugs look like a good idea and he needs to know how to untangle it. The teaching of these essential life skills follows the objectives.

A person must learn about the reasons he began to use drugs and get into trouble so difficult situations in the future will not lead to more drug use. There are two parts to this education. First, he learns about the kinds of people who don’t have his survival and success at heart. Many people get their starts using drugs or committing crimes after associating with this kind of person. It’s vital to be able to identify this type of individual and differentiate them from social personalities who do want others to succeed. A student on this life skills course then learns how to deal with both types of personalities.

Next, each student gets educated on how a person loses his integrity. He then learns a procedure to find relief from guilt and recover his integrity. Right then and there, he puts this procedure to use. It is very common for the students of this life skill to talk about a weight being lifted from their shoulders or chest as their guilt is relieved.

It’s also essential to learn how to solve life’s problems so they don’t get overwhelming. Each student learns the simple but successful formulas they can employ to resolve difficulties in life. Putting them to use on the spot enables them to begin repairing relationships with loved ones and resolving problems that may have resulted from their years spent addicted.

Future Planning

When these skills have been learned, each student then spends time with Narconon Ojai staff to thoroughly work out what needs to be handled when he returns home. Will he need a new job? A new home? Will he need to find a new, sober circle of friends? Resume his education? Does he need to rebuild relationships with children, parents or a spouse? By planning out his re-entry to his life, his stress on arriving home is greatly reduced. He knows which of his life skills will be needed as he establishes himself back home.

The focus of the Narconon Ojai program is the rehabilitation of the individual — rehabilitating his ability to make sober decisions, maintain his integrity and manage his friendships and associations so he can continue winning at being sober. When true rehabilitation takes place at Narconon Ojai, then a person does not need to be maintained on any drugs while he’s in rehab or after he goes home.

To get any questions answered or for more information on our drug and alcohol rehabilitation program, call us today.