Heroin

Unfortunately, over the past few years heroin has been popularized, particluarly through ads using "heroin chic" models.

The booklet the Church of Scientology International has published on heroin is hard hitting and factual.

Kids need to read this (and it's written so they can -- no unnecessarily hard words).

There is really nothing glamorous about being a heroin addict. And there is no such thing as a person who just "uses" heroin but is not addicted.

5 Million Anti-Drug Booklets

The Church of Scientology International has printed 5 million anti-drug booklets, which they are now distributing around the world.

These booklets are terrific. They really tall the truth about drugs and it is so clear when you read them that they have no other agenda -- they just want to get through to kids so they decide not to take drugs before it's too late.

I'd decided not to take certain drugs, but I'd never decided not to take all drugs until I became a Scientologist because it was at that point that I came to understand the effect of drugs on the individual.

Now kids can get this information BEFORE they get into trouble.

Kids should have every opportunity to do well in life. These booklets provide them the information they really need.

If you would like to get copies of the booklets, or ever reprint them from your club, group, country, etc.

Parents, teachers, employers and civic leaders are all in a position to help keep young people from taking drugs. Moralizing about the evils of drugs doesn’t work. Neither do scare tactics. Answering the inevitable questions with frank, honest data, provides a young person with the information he or she needs to make the intelligent choice to remain drug free. That starts with having the answers.

Discover those answers at www.drugsalvage.org

James told the Drug-Free Ambassadors that he wished he found them before he started on marijuana at the age of 14. In less than three years he graduated to heroin and got into stealing to support his habit. Having now paid for this with a 10-year stint in jail he wants the Ambassadors to reach all the kids in Australia so no one else has to suffer the way he has.

And now the Federal Treasury and the Department of Family and Community Services had made it easier for the Drug-Free Ambassadors of Australia to get to kids like James in time, by granting the group full tax deductible status and putting them on the register of Harm Prevention Charities.

The timing of this recognition couldn't be better. It coincides with the Ambassadors' plan to release hundreds of thousands of new booklets to let youth know the truth about heroin, marijuana, cocaine, LSD, speed or methamphetamines, ecstasy, crack, kiddie cocaine (ritalin) and painkillers.

At its core, the Church of Scientology’s drug prevention campaign is a grass-roots movement made up of people-Scientologists and non—Scientologists alike—who are united in the commitment to take action to combat drug abuse through effective education. After all—while we can keep fighting a war on drugs, it’s evident that unless we address the demand, that war will be lost.

Something can be done about drug abuse. And the component that makes it all possible is, invariably, the dedicated work of individuals—of people.

Some slightly good news for a change:

The United Nations World Drug Report for 2005, released in June 2005 and which contains data up to 2003, states, “Although countries indicating rising levels of drug consumption continue to outnumber those with falling levels of drug use, the proportions have shifted in recent years in a slightly more positive direction. While in 2000, 53% of all reporting countries saw rising levels of drug use, the corresponding proportion fell to 44% in 2003. In parallel, the proportion of countries seeing declines rose from 21% in 2000 to 25% in 2003.”

Did you know that Oxycodone is as powerful as heroin and affects the nervous system the same way? If not, perhaps you should get better informed.

Read the Truth About Painkillers.

“Scientology Effective Solutions: Saving Lives from Drugs” brochure, provides you with important information about what churches of Scientology and their members are doing about the drug problem. This will also introduce you to the most effective solution to drug addiction and dependency – the drug rehabilitation methods developed by humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard.

Read the online version, here.

HELPING THE YOUTH OF NEW SOUTH WALES AVOID THE PAIN OF HEROIN ADDICTION

If you’ve seen a group of kids in parks, at fairs or on the streets of New South Wales passing out booklets and getting kids to sign an anti-drug pledge, you have probably met the Sydney Drug-Free Ambassadors. Motivated by stories such as the Sunday’s headlines about the seizing of $3.5 million-worth of heroin by New South Wales police, the Drug-Free Ambassadors are determined to prevent this and other drugs from harming the youth of the region.

Just one example of their activities was their participation on Saturday at the Bexley Fair in NSW, Australia. By talking to their peers about the dangers of heroin and other drugs the Ambassadors got 100 youth to sign the Drug-Free Ambassadors pledge.

The Drug-Free Ambassadors, sponsored by the Scientology churches of Sydney Australia, give factual information about drugs to youth and answer their questions. This enables them to make positive choices about living drug-free lives before they start to experiment with drugs. And because the Ambassadors are their own age, kids are willing to talk to them, listen to what they have to say and read their literature.

The Drug-Free Ambassadors attack the problem with colorful and informative booklets like the TRUTH ABOUT HEROIN — Flirting with the Forbidden Brings the Kiss of Death.

The Ambassadors initiative is based on research by humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard. For more info, contact Cyrus Brooks 02 9692 7308 or info@drugfreeambassadors.com.au.

It has become an unfortunate cliché to refer to efforts to combat the problem as the "war on druqs."

"Unfortunate" because many well-intentioned people launch into battle without effective weapons.

Trying to stem the tide of drugs by seizing boats and planes is an impossible and thankless task. What is needed is a solution to the demand.

Scientology churches sponsor drug prevention groups and activities as part of its community programs. To date, volunteer Scientologists have reached millions and millions of people with the truth about drugs. You can find out more about the Church’s programs by reading further in this web log.

Separately, Narconon is a drug-free drug rehabilitation program based on the discoveries of L. Ron Hubbard. It not only solves the physical craving for drugs... it handles the underlying cause of why the person turned to them in the first place.

It is why, in a field where the typical addict goes from one unsuccessful rehab to the next, Narconon stands apart.

Narconon Arrowhead, in Oklahoma, is the international headquarters that emanates a massive worldwide drug education and rehabilitation program. Arrowhead is the largest private residential rehab facility on Earth, but it also serves as a center to train those opening new programs -- from 14 nations and 19 U-S states just in 2005.

But while we work to rehabilitate those already addicted, Narconon also delivers drug education lectures to prevent those most likely to be misdirected to a life on drugs. It cuts the demand before kids fall into bad habits.

To find out more, visit www.narconon.org.

If you want to do something effective about drugs, there are many things you can do to help.

Avail yourself of the information we have provided in our “Truth About Drugs” publications.

We have also made available on request a “Truth About Drugs” Action Pack. This pack contains copies of all of our drug education booklets as well as an Activities Manual with instructions on everything from staring your own group to fully scripted drug education lecturers.

Go to the website and find out.

If you want to do something effective about drugs, there are many things you can do to help.

Avail yourself of the information we have provided in our “Truth About Drugs” publications.

We have also made available on request a “Truth About Drugs” Action Pack. This pack contains copies of all of our drug education booklets as well as an Activities Manual with instructions on everything from staring your own group to fully scripted drug education lecturers.

Go to the website and find out.

Drugs destroy or ruin millions of lives every year. Thus society owes a debt of gratitude to those who dedicate themselves to salvaging others from the harmful effects of drug abuse. Sadly, such educational groups and beneficial organizations are sometimes attacked by individual officials or vested interest groups who in some way benefit from keeping our society on drugs. It has been proven again and again that those who try to attack or hinder people who are salvaging others from the scourge of drugs have an agenda to promote drugs or allow them to proliferate.

Avoiding drugs is a question of attitude. A child who truly understands the dangers of drugs will know why he should say "no" to illegal substances.

Bombarded with music, television programs, ads and Internet sites which constantly promote drug use, children sometimes do not understand the dangers of such substances. They may have the idea that it is safe to casually experiment with drugs.

"Why not?" is too often the prevailing attitude.

Yet former addicts say one should never become involved with drugs, even to just try them. One seldom knows he is succumbing to the grip of drugs, as awareness of his own condition gradually diminishes with continued drug use. Most marijuana smokers think they can quit. Few, however, do.

A person may try a drug two, five, or even ten times before finding himself suddenly addicted. Sometimes, just a single instance of drug use can lead a child straight into the hell of addiction.

There is an effective weapon to keep your children from falling into the trap of drugs: KNOWLEDGE. Moralizing lectures serve no purpose. The present generation must learn to refuse drugs by knowing why they are dangerous. And it is our job as parents or friends to help them learn the truth.

These are difficult times. But think about the future: will you be sharing it with people who are drug addicts, sick and without hope? Or with those who are healthy, productive and happy?

It is possible to live free of drugs. With this booklet, we want to contribute to a better, brighter and more promising future. The war on drugs will be won only if we work with our children to achieve victory.

Drug Use Statistics Improving

For those who have been fighting the war against drugs, here are some statistics that show we are making a change.

According to the Office of National Drug Policy in a September 2005 report, between 2002 and 2004 there has been a 9% decrease in illicit drug use in American youth aged 12-17. The findings come from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which found that among youth aged 12 to 17, the rate of illicit drug use declined between 2002 and 2004: 11.6 percent in 2002, 11.2 percent in 2003, and 10.6 percent in 2004. This represents 250,000 fewer Americans in that age group using illicit drugs.

Marijuana use also declined by 7% among young adults. Heroin use dropped by 16% - LSD use declined by 41%, Ecstasy use dropped by 40%, use of Cocaine among 12 to 17 yr olds fell 8%.

Additionally, according to a 2005 survey by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the rate of illicit drug use in the United States among older teens has continued to decline. The study’s principal investigator stated “what is significant is that the use of these substances has declined significantly since the recent peak levels reached in the mid-1990s.” The use of any illicit drug in the 12 months prior to the survey, released in December 2005, is down by more than a third among 8th graders since 1996. There are also significant declines among 12th and 10th graders.

For more information, see The Truth About Drugs website.

Facts about Marijuana

Sixty percent of teenagers in drug treatment programs are there because of marijuana. According to a National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, kids who frequently use marijuana are almost four times more likely to act violently or damage property.

For more information on the effects of majiruana, visist www.notodrugs-yestolife.org

Inhalenets

Inhalents are a cheap high that costs lives if not money.

Here is some information on the effect of inhalents, taken from the Say No to Drugs -- Say Yes to Life web site. The web site was created as a public service by the Church of ScientologyInternational

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Inhalants include chemicals found in such household products as aerosol sprays, cleaning fluids, glue, paint, paint thinner, nail polish remover, amyl nitrite and lighter gas. They are sniffed or “huffed” (act of inhaling vapors).

Inhalants affect the brain. They are substances or fumes inhaled through the nose or mouth and can cause irreversible physical and mental damage. They starve the body of oxygen and force the heart to beat irregularly and more rapidly. People who use inhalants can lose their sense of smell, suffer nausea and nosebleeds and may develop liver, lung and kidney problems. Chronic use can lead to reduced muscle mass, tone and strength. Inhalants can make people unable to walk, talk and think normally. Much of the damage is caused to the brain tissue when the toxic fumes are sniffed straight into the sinus.

Pro-Grass Hype

I am really opposed to any relaxing in the prohibition against grass.

A friend of mine told me her story about marijuana.

When she was in college it was promoted to her as a way to "expand her awareness."

Within a year her life was really a wreck.

She wasn't an addict. But she'd become so careless, so lacking in motivation or energy, that her life was a shambles.

I've just seen this in so many different people.

Whatever the temporary feelings of euphoria or whatever else the reason for taking it, it's not worth it.

Japanese Viewpooint

I took this from an article I found written by a Japanese student. An interesting viewpoint

"A Problem for U.S. Teens

"In the U.S., there are many problems in high schools, for example, drinking or drugs, but the most serious problem is alcohol. According to a survey made by U.S.A.TODAY, 58% of high school students drink beer at least once a week and 47% drink liquor at least once a week. However, students are not only drinking alcohol but also using marijuana. The number of students who always use marijuana is also increasing. 25% of high schoolers use drugs at least once a week. Why do they use marijuana? They have social or family problems, I think. What do you think about high schoolers drinking? I don't think that high school drinking is a big problem in Japan.

"Do Japanese Students Have a Drinking Problem?I tried to interview some students in my college. I asked them if there is a drinking problem among Japanese high school students and, if so, why they thought there is a drinking problem in Japan. Most of them said drinking is not a big problem, but if there is a problem, Japanese high schools punish students who are drinking."

Tips for Parents

The Narconon site has some great tips for parents whose kids are on drugs.

It's always a tragedy when a kid gets into trouble like this. But it's not true that it has to stay that way. And if you have a kid like this they really do NOT have to be on drugs the rest of their lives. I know so many people who've come through Narconon and really kicked the habit for good.

Parents' Ordeal

I hate to think what a parent must go through when they find out their kid is really in trouble with drugs.

The Scientology anti-drug site is a service to anyone who wants the real facts about drugs. You can help your kids by having them read what drugs are really all about BEFORE they get in trouble.

If you suspect your kids are on drugs and need some help, you can contact a Scientology Volunteer Minister for help. You can find a VM through a Scientology church or by contacting the Volunteer Minister coordinator at vm@volunteerministers.org