Drug Rehab for Sweden

Sweden has long had an intolerant policy toward substance abuse. The stated goal for the country was no drug abuse at all, and laws and rehabilitation programs in general focused on this as an intended result. At times, this policy has been successful, as drug abuse statistics declined through the 1980s and early 1990s. But now the picture is not as pretty now, as drug abuse statistics rise again. The Narconon drug rehab center near Malmo offers an effective program that helps the country achieve its goal.

The Narconon program has been shown to be remarkably effective in creating lasting sobriety among those who complete the program. For more than 45 years, even those addicted to the most serious of drugs have found success in staying sober after this program. Injecting heroin users, those who are heavy users of cocaine or methamphetamine, those who have been alcoholics for decades–all have found success at Narconon.

This is a long-term program that is residential at most of its fifty locations around the world. It can take three to five months or longer for a person to repair the damaged parts of his (or her) life and learn how to make sober decisions. In comparison, thirty-day programs have much lower success rates than Narconon centers that average 70% success among its graduates.

How to Help Addicts Recover Fully

From the beginning to the end, each step of the Narconon program is designed to address the guilt, cravings and depression that are suffered by all addicts. It’s understood that a person recovering from addiction is likely to be uncommunicative, unhappy and unhealthy when they first begin the journey back to sobriety. Each person at a Narconon facility walks through a series of steps that approach recovery on a gradient. First, the simple skill of communication is taught to begin to draw a person out of the confusion and overwhelm of addiction.

As he achieves some skill at confronting another person and using simple communication skills, he gains more control of himself and his environment. This helps him walk forward into the next step, The Narconon New Life Detoxification. This phase uses the sauna that is so familiar to Swedes, combined with nutritional supplements and daily exercise to flush old drug toxins out of the body. Long experience has shown that these toxins get lodged in fatty tissue and contribute both to cloudy thinking and cravings. The sauna alone will bot mobilize these lodged toxins, but the special nutritional program, strictly supervised, is effective in causing them to be eliminated. When the toxins are eliminated, each person is ready for the next phase of recovery.

Counseling and Life Skills Follow

The next step guides each person through a series of exercises that have the effect of bringing them out of the dim past and into the sharp present. This enables each to begin to let go of the harm of the past and start thinking about a new sober life.

The life skills training classes that follow teach specific skills found to be necessary in a sober life. For example, how to deal with negative people who might be involved in triggering new drug abuse, or how to resolve difficult situations so there is no desire to hide in drugs or alcohol abuse again.

Swedish Society Continues to Insist on Sobriety

Despite the emphasis on full sobriety, there are sixty facilities that administer methadone or buprenorphine as substitution treatment in Sweden. This means that those who were addicted to opiates receive pharmaceutical drugs that prevent withdrawal sickness, but still keep the person on an addictive substance. Between 1500 and 2500 people are usually enrolled in these programs.

Those who graduate from the Narconon rehab program near Malmo have an excellent chance of staying fully sober after they go home - an accomplishment that achieves the true goal of the Swedish people.


Narconon Centers in Sweden: