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The question is: “Are addictions actually bad habits?”  According to the habit model of addiction, they are.  This theory of addiction states that the only reason to say there is a difference is to persecute “addicts.” 

People with bad habits of smoking often feel much persecuted.  While smoking is not illegal (at least not yet), it is shunned by society as a whole.  At first, you could smoke anywhere.  Expecting fathers smoked in the maternity waiting rooms.  Then, you could smoke in buildings, but only in a designated smoking room. 

Then there came the designated smoking area outside the building.  Now restaurants, bars, and whole cities are going smoke-free.  It seems that a lot of people have given up their bad habits.  However, they do not seem to remember how badly they were addicted before.  The truth is that in a way, they are still addicted and always will be.   That is how addiction works. 

In an effort to save others from the ill effects of their second hand smoke, many people have switched their bad habits to smokeless tobacco.  Just because the tobacco is not smoked, though, it does not mean the nicotine is not addictive.  It is said to be just as hard a bad habit to break as cigarettes.  People quitting it use patches and nicotine gum or Zyban, too. 

Sleeping pills are bad habits to get into as well.  They can be so addictive that you need a higher and higher dosage to fall asleep.  Eventually, they will not help at all.  Some people overdose in an attempt to reach a dose that will put them to sleep.  It usually takes intervention by a doctor and/or a sleep clinic to straighten you out. 

Alcohol can be a bad habit if you drink to excess.  For some people with certain physical conditions, it can be risky anyway.  It can be dangerous if mixed with particular medications.  However, if a person is addicted to alcohol, they will not be concerned with that.  Neither will they be concerned about their jobs or their relationships.  It will all be about the next drink. 

Drugs pose a variety of bad habits.  There are so many illegal drugs that they are too numerous to count.  They have different affects and cause different levels of addiction.  Some have fast and devastating results.  Others do little damage in the short run.  Yet, they are all bad habits. 

There are club drugs, heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and hallucinogens.  All these drugs can be nasty.  There are also legal drugs that people get into bad habits with by starting with an injury or other medical condition.  These can be pain pills like percocet, or muscle relaxants.  They are also very addictive bad habits. 

If you have an addictive bad habit, you probably need some form of help to get over it.  In fact, once you have a serious addiction, experiencing the sights, smells, or sounds of your addiction will start your brain in that addictive mode again.  It is no wonder that people struggle for years with addictive bad habits. 

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Narconon is a secular rehabilitation program that specializes in treating the causes of drug addiction along with the addiction itself.  Narconon is based on the beliefs and writings of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard and looks at the causes of drug addiction from an addict’s perspective so it can effectively treat the drug addiction.

The treatment does not use any drugs of any type to ease the pain of withdrawal and provides drug rehabilitation, education, and prevention services.  Much of Narconon’s programs are presented in school classrooms using materials developed by the Narconon professionals.  The materials are meant to supplement the school’s existing drug prevention program.

Proponents of the Narconon program claim a 70 percent success rate with combating drug addiction compared to a 30 percent rate in other rehabilitation programs.  Hubbard created the program after doing extensive research and studies on drug addiction causes and how to combat the disease effectively without the use of drugs.

The premise of the Narconon model states that addicts can resume normal, healthy, productive lives when they work with the skills they are given in the program.  The program can be administered out-patient or at an in-patient Narconon sanctioned facility.

Generally, the Narconon program takes four to six months to work effectively.  Participants are said to be going “back to school” to become re-educated on drugs, the dangers of drug, drug addiction, and drug recovery.  All of this is done without the benefit of pharmaceutical help.

Like the Scientology religion, Narconon has its opponents who say that the information that is presented isn’t always scientifically sound even if the program claims it is.  They say that Narconon skews information so that it supports their conclusions and doesn’t give the whole picture.  Some see that as a form of brain washing and thus write off Narconon as a scam.

Opponents also say that the educational materials given to schools don’t take into account developmental abilities of the students they are trying to reach.  The materials for elementary schools are basically the same as the materials for high schools.  The materials are more scientific without providing explanations or definitions for presenters to help children with their comprehension of what is being presented.

The causes of drug addiction are wide and varied and Narconon claims to address them fully through their program.  Even if their information isn’t as accurate as some would hope, they do have a certain amount of success with those who go through their classes.  Because the causes of drug addiction are far-reaching, perhaps Narconon is an answer for those who need it.

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