Freedom from Addiction
Drug and alcohol abuse wreak disastrous effects on society that reach far beyond the individual caught in the grip of addiction. The illicit drug trade generates so much money—$800 billion annually—if it were a country, it would be one of the top 20 largest economies in the world.
Hundreds of millions of lives are affected by illicit drugs, with many ended before their time. According to the 2018 United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime World Drug Report, illicit drug users number some 275 million—close to 6 percent of all people ages 15 to 64.
The United States is the world leader in drug deaths, with an annual drug-related mortality rate of 217 persons per million.
That translates to over 70,000 deaths each year, outnumbering US traffic fatalities. In the first decade of the 21st century, drug deaths more than quadrupled among young adults and for those between 55 and 64.
Since 2000, opioid overdoses have increased nearly 200 percent in the United States.
Addiction does not only afflict the stereotypical “drug addict,” nor is it confined to traditional street drugs.
Every statistic and every case represents a human tragedy—a job or a career lost, savings squandered, an individual injured or debilitated, a family destroyed. Drug abuse is a crisis that must be faced and solved by individuals and families, by communities and the society at large.
The now largely disavowed US “war on drugs” policy fought the losing battle of attacking the supply of illicit drugs, but the ultimate answer is to reduce the demand for drugs by reducing abuse and addiction through effective drug education and prevention as well as effective and lasting release from addiction.
This is the goal of the Narconon drug rehabilitation and education programme. Its worldwide network of rehabilitation centres and drug education specialists offers workable solutions to individuals, families and communities seeking a pathway to freedom from addiction.
