After 25 Years of Saving Lives, Narconon Mediterraneo Holds Celebration

Drug addiction is spreading across the world at record rates, and no region of our planet is truly safe from it. This is because anyone of any demographic can get hooked on drugs. In addition to the street drugs that are easily available on our streets, there are also legal drugs that are abused far too often. It’s not just cocaine, meth and heroin that could show up in your town—you also have to be on the watch for members of your community getting hooked on prescription drugs.

The founders of Narconon Mediterraneo were well aware of this when they decided to open a drug rehab center in Alcala de Guardaira in Spain 25 years ago. Alcala de Guardaira is a town near Seville, and it is no stranger to the devastating effects of drug abuse. When the center opened two and a half decades ago, it immediately became known as a leader to effective rehab care in the local area. It is still getting outstanding results on this special anniversary, and it’s time for the world to know how it gets the job done.

Why Traditional Rehab Approaches Aren’t Working

Traditional rehab programs have a very spotty record in actually getting results. Most centers in Spain (and throughout the world) subscribe to one of two ineffective theories. The first is that since the addict is making the bad decision to use drugs, he needs to be punished until he gets sober. This approach is evident when societies imprison drug users for years for petty drug crimes.

Not only does this approach not work, it can actually make the problem work. Many prisons are very porous when it comes to keeping drugs out. Many addicts will enter prison and become addicted to more drugs while they are behind bars. This leads to a return to the outside world with more addictions than they entered with.

Another failed approach is the disease model of addiction. This theory posits that addicts use drugs because they have a genetic impulse to do so. They supposedly can have no control over their actions because of the DNA that they were born with. This theory has never been proven with any kind of convincing evidence, so there is no reason to believe that it is true.

After all, effective rehabilitation only occurs after the addict decides to get clean. If you try to force someone to be sober, it never works. You have to stop watching the person eventually, and at that point, he will just go right back to using drugs. While there are powerful biological impulses to continue using drugs once a person has become dependent on them, that person has to decide to stop if he will ever leave addiction behind.

Narconon Mediterraneo Has a Lot to Celebrate

For 25 years, Narconon Mediterraneo has been using a system of rehab that works. It helps addicts to fully detoxify their bodies using a groundbreaking system that helps addicts sweat out drug residues. It then teaches them the life skills that they are lacking so they can start to build lives that are free of drug use.

After a quarter decade of helping thousands of addicts to get clean, the center recently held a celebration with all of its staff and students to mark the occasion. In addition to graduate guest speakers, family members of students and students themselves were also able to share their stories of how the center has changed their lives for the better. The get-together was a great way to acknowledge all of the progress that has already been made, and it was also a reaffirmation of all the lives that Narconon Mediterraneo will continue to save in the future.