Every time law enforcement gains an advantage over drug cartels bringing their loads over the border into the U.S., the cartels adapt to the pressure and change their tactics. In previous decades, drug cartels used Miami, Tijuana and El Paso as portals for their drug smuggling. The last few years, the Arizona border has been the target of cartels. Wide-open deserts and remote Native American reservations have been some of the primary channels used for the movement of tons of drugs.

But along with the drugs, Arizona and, in particular, Phoenix have inherited other crimes. Some law enforcement bodies report that Phoenix is experiencing an average of one kidnapping a day. In the whole world, only Mexico City has more kidnappings.

The kidnappings relate to drug debts that have not been paid and other drug-smuggling offenses. They also relate to the trafficking of humans that has followed the path of drug smuggling.

The people doing the drug smuggling and the human trafficking have one terrible characteristic in common: they are criminals willing to use any level of violence to achieve their aims.

The volume of drugs and illegal immigrants coming across the border is staggering. Border Patrol agents in Arizona alone arrest an average of 900 illegal immigrants a day. And last year, they seized 1.2 million pounds of marijuana – more than a ton and a half every day.

In Arizona, we have the situation of the drug war in Mexico spilling over into the United States. It is not something we can ignore. Demand reduction through effective rehabilitation and drug education is an essential component to ending this dangerous and violent situation.

This article is brought to you by Narconon International. Narconon is an international organization dedicated to the elimination of drug addiction through the Narconon drug rehab program and drug education.

The Narconon drug and alcohol rehabilitation program brings about a lower demand for drugs by enabling its graduates to live a drug-free life after graduation. Further, the Narconon drug education curriculum has been proven to lower drug use statistics among students who attend the classes. For more information, see our video http://www.youtube.com/user/narconon?blend=1&ob=5#p/u/6/AlkKeOO-nTo.

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America’s War on Drugs has resulted in a disproportionately large number of women being incarcerated for drug-related offenses.

The war on drugs looked like good idea at the time but no one foresaw its harsh effects on women in America.

In the early 1980s, laws intended to fight the increase of drug trafficking into the U.S. and the spread of cocaine addiction changed the way drug offenders were sentenced. But one of the unexpected results of this change was that the number of women being incarcerated for drug-related offenses shot up dramatically.

Over a thirteen-year period starting in 1986, the ratio of women serving time for a drug-related offense rose from 1 in 8 women to 1 in 3 women. Nationwide, the total number of women incarcerated for drug offenses increased an incredible 888 percent over this time. At the same time, the number of women incarcerated for other offenses rose only 129 percent.

As women are most often the primary caregivers for the next generation, it becomes particularly important that they find a solution to a substance abuse problem or addiction that could end up sending them to jail or prison. It’s well known that the only outcomes of addiction are sobriety, prison or death. The Narconon drug and alcohol rehabilitation program offers drug recovery programs to both women and men in more than one hundred locations around the world.

By 2008, about half of women confined in state prisons reported that they had been using alcohol, drugs or both at the time of the crime for which they were arrested. And about half of these women admitted that they were daily users of drugs or alcohol. About a third of these women committed the crime that sent them to prison so they could get money for drugs or alcohol.

When women find their way to one of the Narconon facilities, they find a program that enables them to learn new life skills to replace the ones that addiction may have destroyed. Improved communication skills, a restoration of personal integrity and values, and a retraining in morals feature in this long-term drug treatment program. As a result, women and men alike are able to stay clean and sober in seven out of ten cases, after graduation from the Narconon drug program.

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When America’s young people go off to college, this is supposed to be the start of their adult lives and their careers. These young people should be getting educations that enable them to be the doctors, teachers, architects, software designers and engineers of our future.

What lies ahead for many of them is more than only classes, textbooks and exams. For many of them, years of alcohol street and prescription drug abuse will waste their talents and energies and impair their ability to get an education. Thousands of them will suffer injury, abuse or assaults related to alcohol or drug abuse. And too many will die.

A comprehensive report from The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse states that half of America’s college students binge drink and abuse prescription and illegal drugs. Just what is binge drinking? It’s the consumption of five drinks in one sitting for a man and four drinks in one sitting for a female. Essentially, it’s drinking to get drunk or at least buzzed. Unfortunately, the culture on most of our college and university campuses not only condones this behavior, it encourages and enables it.

These students are at high risk for developing dependence on or addiction to the substances they are abusing. It’s common for college students to feel like they can handle heavy or frequent drinking in school. But in nearly every case, these young adults are poorly equipped to make judgments about how much is too much or to know when they have crossed the line to dependence. Few of them have any education on the hazards that can show up in a drunken party, for example.

The hazards can be disastrous. Every year, one hundred thousand women are victims of sexual assault or rape, related to alcohol abuse. Nearly three-quarters of a million students are injured in alcohol-related accidents. And 2,000 students die from alcohol poisoning or alcohol-related accidents or violence.

The media runs stories of deaths and injury from alcohol poisoning all too frequently. Like the story of Benjamin Harris at the University of Idaho who consumed as many as 15 shots on the night he turned 21. In July 2010, he was found unconscious at his fraternity and died before he could be gotten to a hospital.

And in August 2010 in Dallas, Texas, two girls who had participated in pledging activities at sororities were found passed out in their dorms. Both had to be treated for alcohol poisoning.

Heavy alcohol consumption has no more place in a college education than it has in any productive life. It’s up to parents to educate their children on substance abuse, particularly alcohol and prescription drugs. Open and honest communication about the problems that can result are essential in helping a young adult develop judgment.

It’s not something that colleges want to advertise that some of their students detour through a drug rehab before they can graduate. Many of them have made their ways to a Narconon drug and alcohol rehabilitation center. When they graduate from this program, seven out of ten go on to live clean and sober lives.

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Last week, Zach Galifianakis, star of the new movie “Due Date,” startled his interviewer and fellow guests on Real Time with Bill Maher by pulling out what he said was a joint and lighting up. In a later interview, Bill Maher denied that Zach had been smoking real marijuana. It hardly matters. The communication behind the action is crystal clear. It says “Marijuana smoking is acceptable.” It tells young people “Go ahead and smoke it.” This was all part of the brouhaha surround the debate over California’s referendum to legalize marijuana, which is neither here nor there. This article is not about legalization.

The fact is that as irresponsible as the act itself would be to let that communication hang in the air, unanswered. For that reason, Narconon International senior drug educator Bobby Wiggins calls for parents to respond to this TV gimmick by actually talking to their children about drug abuse and the real-life problems it can create. Narconon is an international organization dedicated to preventing drug and alcohol abuse and to helping those who have become addicted recover fully.

“It’s not enough for parents just to tell their children they should abstain from drugs,” said Wiggins. “They’ve got to be real with them. The truth is that marijuana use itself creates its own damage and is itself addictive. The dealer trying to sell a teenager an ounce of marijuana is sure not going to be the one to tell the kid, so it’s got to be the parents.”

The National Center on Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA) provides annual reports on the state of substance abuse among America’s young people. These reports completely support the idea that the best route to success is drug-free and alcohol-free. Their reports state that about half of students who drop out of school either themselves have been involved with alcohol and/or other drug use or they have parents who are substance abusers. CASA’s research also indicates that young people who abuse drugs or alcohol have lower grades and higher rates of suspension or expulsion. They are less likely to graduate from high school or college.

But don’t expect the noisy advocates of marijuana legalization or decriminalization to admit any of this. For the record, Narconon does not take a political stand on this issue…because it’s a red herring. What is important is demand reduction – effective drug rehabilitation and effective drug education.

“For decades, Narconon has taught volunteers in the U.S.and dozens of other countries how to educate children to think more responsibly about drug use,” stated Wiggins. “We emphasize giving students real information they can use to make drug-free decisions on their own. Our method of drug education has been studied and demonstrated to reduce drug use by those students who receive the curriculum. The only safe amount of illicit drug use is none at all, period.”

Visit http://www.youtube.com/user/narconon#p/u/7/Ze2L6lMG7gI for more information on the Narconon program.

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Mabruka came into the Narconon drug rehabilitation program in Cairo Egypt as what he describes “a mess of a human being.” He had struggled with addiction for many years lying to himself while thinking deep down he would never be able to get out of the trap caused by drug abuse.

“I was deader than alive and numb” he says in a recent interview.

One day Mabruka was able to enroll in Narconon Egypt where he was able to complete each of the eight steps of the residential treatment provided through Narconon.

“The Narconon program has taught me how to live again and Narconon has restored my faith in myself and given me peace stability that can only be dreamt of” he explains. “The books are amazing as well and the sauna. It was the best thing for me. I have my health back and my body is alive again being in control of my life.”

The Narconon drug and alcohol rehabilitation program has been saving lives worldwide from the destruction of drug and alcohol addiction since the 1960s. The program was started by a man named William Benitez a habitual criminal and heroin addict who was searching for a solution to his own addiction from behind the walls of the Arizona State Penitentiary in 1964. Benitez came upon a book American author and humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard that helped him permanently recover from addiction and he then used what he learned to help others struggling with substance abuse. Today Narconon operates more than 150 drug treatment centers in 40 different countries. One of the newest locations is Narconon Egypt.

Narconon Egypt’s center is located in Mokattam City – a quiet suburb in Cairo situated away from pollution and noise and an ideal environment for anyone addicted to start the rehabilitation process. Their mission is to eradicate the problem of drug and alcohol abuse in their region through effective rehabilitation and education. The center promises many more graduates such as Mabruka.

“[Since completing Narconon] no longer do the chemicals of evil men call my name or haunt my dreams. No longer do I fear or hate or have to hide” says Mabruka. “Words are not enough. I will forever spread the word of Narconon Egypt and the people who absolutely perform miracles every day. The Narconon program is truly a miracle but this miracle can be explained.” To learn more about Narconon please visit http://www.youtube.com/user/narconon#p/u/5/jYnrLTGvsRU.

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(Los Angeles, CA) – Every Friday night Narconon drug rehabilitation centers throughout the country hold graduation ceremonies celebrating the accomplishments of clients as they progress through their treatment. Each graduation ends off with a special acknowledgement for those who have completed the full Narconon® program, giving them a chance to share their successes as well as reuniting them with their families.

For the graduates themselves, it marks the end of a difficult time in their lives that they are now leaving in the past with confidence and determination that they will finally be free from the grips of addiction. The mixture of excitement and a bit of nervousness about the future they will now be creating can be tough for someone to comprehend without having lived through it. However, the shame, guilt and regret are all now gone and replaced with relief and an eagerness to live.

As one graduate puts it, “I feel brand new, like a kid again. I have a whole new outlook on life that is filled with happiness and ambition, and I can’t thank my family enough for helping me get to Narconon.”

For family members, it is a moment of hope, pride and joy. It’s impossible not to cry when you see in parents’ eyes that they finally have their son or daughter back, or when young children run up to their mommy or daddy to hug and kiss them sober for the first time in years. Words can’t really describe the feeling.

“This is why we’re here,” remarks a Narconon staff member at a recent graduation.“It never gets old seeing that,” he says, trying to hold back the teardrops that welled up in his eyes from rolling down his cheeks. But, with hardly a dry eye in the room, it’s nearly impossible to do.

Three more graduation ceremonies like this will happen at dozens of Narconon centers in the United States and around the world during the rest of National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month. They will continue to happen every Friday after that, just as they have for decades prior to this particular evening. To learn more about Narconon please see this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXgwyJ74y3c.

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(Canadian, OK) – Narconon Arrowhead believes that their role in fighting the drug problem is more than just effective rehabilitation services. They also provide drug education and prevention as well as work with other community leaders to improve living conditions in the area.

Recently they participated in an effort to revive an old theater nearby with the Pride in McAlester group, where several staff members assisted in cleaning it up the OKLA Theater along with people from Westwood Construction, Hope House and Interior Resources. It was just one of many community events the organization has participated in this year.

In addition to providing drug prevention for tens of thousands of students throughout the state of Oklahoma and surrounding areas, Narconon Arrowhead has also been working with local businesses to offer drug education in the workplace, and was named the business of the month for the McAlester Area Chamber of Commerce.

A manager at a local plant that received a workplace seminar reported, “Our staff has learned so much more than we may have anticipated learning or had already known about the affects of substance and alcohol use both in and out of the workplace. We have learned to recognize key factors and circumstances that drive people to substance abuse and why people continue of this path of destruction…I recommend the training that Narconon provides to area businesses as a means to strengthen their organizations.”

Additional community involvement continues throughout National Recovery month and heading into Red Ribbon Week in October, where Narconon Arrowhead is one of the active members in the “Take Back McAlester” campaign, culminating in a 10K run that supports the arts and humanities. Positive activities such as these help reduce substance abuse among youth and adults and those with the Narconon program believe they are essential to the enrichment of a community.

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