| When the Soviet Union fell and greater freedoms | | | | Hallmark, Director of Admissions and Certified |
| became available to its citizens, an undesirable side | | | | Chemical Dependency Counselor at Narconon |
| effect of this change was greater access to | | | | Arrowhead. Narconon Arrowhead is one of the |
| narcotics. In particular, heroin. And, as in many other | | | | country’s leading drug and alcohol rehabilitation |
| countries, along with a heroin epidemic comes HIV | | | | centers, located in Canadian, Oklahoma. "However, if a |
| infections resulting from the sharing of needles used to | | | | person’s goal is to live drug-free, then methadone |
| inject heroin. Estimates of the number of heroin addicts | | | | may not be the best option to treat heroin or opiate |
| vary from three million to six million of the country’s | | | | addiction. Some drug treatment professionals may |
| 142 million citizens. | | | | keep a person on methadone substitution for a long |
| Like in America, some Russian doctors propose the | | | | time, meaning that the person does not learn to live |
| use of substitution therapy with methadone. But unlike | | | | drug-free on their own." |
| America, the treatment of heroin addiction with | | | | The Narconon program is a fully drug-free program, |
| methadone is illegal. In fact, the discussion of the | | | | meaning that every participant goes through a |
| subject is forbidden, as is the promotion of the | | | | withdrawal step at the beginning of the program, |
| treatment on a website. Sometimes, even the | | | | assisted by nutritional support and physical exercises |
| mentioning it in conversation can bring legal sanctions | | | | that calm and extrovert the person and relieve the |
| down on a person. | | | | discomfort of withdrawal. This is followed by a sauna |
| In 2006, an influential anti-methadone article was | | | | program that uses a dry-heat combined with nutrition |
| published in the Russian Medical Newspaper, then | | | | and an exercise program. This step flushes out old |
| reprinted and distributed to addiction treatment | | | | drug residues that may be connected with cravings. |
| specialists. The article claims that the methadone will | | | | With lowered or eliminated cravings, the former addict |
| be subject to illegal diversion and that heroin addicts | | | | is now free to take part in the counseling that allows |
| are kept addicted while the pharmaceutical companies | | | | them to leave guilt and depression behind, and learn |
| make a profit. Passions run high as medical and | | | | the life skills that can enable them to make drug-free |
| government officials bicker back and forth on risk | | | | decisions in the future. |
| reduction through substitute drugs that keep people | | | | "The Narconon program offers a viable alternative for |
| from injecting heroin illegally, and other forms of | | | | the person who wishes to experience life without any |
| treatment. | | | | reliance on drugs," added Mr. Hallmark. "Our seventy |
| "If harm reduction is one’s only goal, then | | | | percent success rate means that we are able to |
| methadone may be a viable treatment," stated Derry | | | | return many drug-free individuals to productive lives. |