Narconon Arrowhead ‘Decking the Halls’ for Christmas
People who spend their holidays in rehab may feel like they’re going to be missing out on the festivities, but those who are are Narconon Arrowhead this year don’t have to have that problem. The staff and students of the Narconon center in Oklahoma are kicking off the holiday season with a “Deck the Halls” party early in December. It’s a yearly tradition, and everyone works together to decorate the building for the Christmas holiday, including a beautiful tree in the lobby. Decorating the center is not all that the people at Narconon Arrowhead do, and indeed the holiday season sees a flurry of activities to celebrate the occasion, spread the spirit of the holiday, and to have fun while doing it.
Some of the other things that Narconon Arrowhead students get to take part in during Christmastime include:
Holiday Parades
The city of McAlester, and the town of Eufaula, both located nearby the Narconon Arrowhead center, both host holiday parades, and the Narconon team has made it a custom to decorate and run a float in these parades. Narconon Arrowhead is known as a positive force in the community, and the holiday parade float is one of the ways that they get their name out there, with a design centered around spreading messages of drug-free living.
Talent Show
At the center, staff and students are welcomed to take to the stage during the annual holiday talent show. All types of performance are welcome, whether a person wants to play music, sing, perform comedy or a skit, share poetry or any other type of artistic expression to share the cheer.
Food Pantry
Another holiday tradition at Narconon Arrowhead is the food pantry which the center sponsors to collect donations of food and other items which are needed by families who are struggling financially. They do everything from hosting daily bake sales to raise funds, to soliciting donations from the community and calling on supporters of the center throughout the world to contribute to a good cause. The holidays are a time when families that are already struggling to get by will feel the pinch even more, and the Narconon Arrowhead food pantry offers much-needed relief to people in this position.
Sponsor a Student
This year marks the second year for the Sponsor a Student program at Narconon Arrowhead. In 2013, the center launched this new program as a way for past graduates of the center to give back and to provide support to those who are currently there doing rehab. Narconon graduates donate for a Christmas stocking filled with small gifts for someone who is spending the holidays at the Arrowhead center. Many also write a letter of encouragement to the current student. Rehab isn’t easy, and it can be difficult to see that one will make it through and achieve stable sobriety. Getting a message from someone else who has been through the same experience and succeeded can make an enormous difference, and the Sponsor a Student program helps to make this happen.
All of these activities help Narconon Arrowhead students to enjoy the holidays and not feel like they are missing out, but they do more than this. Drug or alcohol addiction has a tendency to dull one’s senses, deaden his or her emotions and make one withdrawn socially. Participating in these activities, working with others, and giving back to support those in need help to bring a person back to life. The holiday season is an ideal time to involve recovering addicts in such positive and life-affirming projects, and Narconon Arrowhead takes full advantage of this to the benefit of their students.