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Scientology claims to be the experts on drugs — their actual materials beg to differ

 
Rod Keller connects some dots concerning Scientology’s claims about drug use…

Scientology presents itself as the experts. They claim to be the experts on the human mind. Through front groups they claim to be the experts in education, criminal justice, mental health, marriage, raising children, disaster response, and preventing crime and war. Tom Cruise expressed this in the famous 2004 Freedom Medal video.

When you’re a Scientologist, and you drive by an accident, you know you have to do something about it, because you know you’re the only one who can really help. We are the authorities on getting people off drugs. We are the authorities on the mind. We are the way to happiness.

 

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One way the Narconon front group tries to establish itself as the authority on drugs is through the blog on narconon.org. A recent article “The Mechanics of Opioid Addiction” is part of this campaign. It doesn’t mention Scientology and it doesn’t mention L. Ron Hubbard, but it shows how Scientology is not expert in drugs as they cling to the theories of L. Ron Hubbard from his early writings.

 

 
The Narconon program comes from the 1970s “sweat program” designed by Hubbard to eliminate traces of LSD from the human body. But the origin goes back further to the 1957 book “All About Radiation” which promoted the use of Dianazene, a blend of vitamins Hubbard invented to treat exposure to radiation. Vitamins and saunas do not remove stored radiation or drug residues, but the theory lives on because Hubbard is viewed as infallible by Scientology’s true believers.

Second generation Scientologist and author Ren Brabenec’s article mixes fact and fiction to promote Narconon as an authority on drugs.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse also warns us with urgency regarding opioids. According to their research, they found that about 21 to 29 percent of patients prescribed opioids for chronic pain end up misusing them. Why would any patient want to take a drug that had almost a one in three chance of turning them into an addict?

Brabenec’s one in three chance is actually a one in four chance, but leaving the math of fractions aside, the answer to the question is obvious – patients are prescribed opioids because they experience pain. The options for doctors to treat chronic pain are few – analgesics and opioids. Work is being done to develop more effective and safer analgesics and a new generation of pain medicine may be the eventual cure for the opioid crisis. Until then patients who have long term pain from an injury or chronic pain from diseases such as cancer or arthritis will continue to be given opioids. There is a potential for misuse, but what is Scientology’s alternative? “Auditing to handle one’s physical condition” is the likely answer.

Someone who uses drugs is seeking to solve a problem and they have elected to choose drugs as the “solution” to that problem. People are basically good, with basically good intentions, and basically sensible judgment. But when confronted with a problem that seems unsolvable, we can err on the side of using drugs to cope with or cover up the problem.

The idea that people are basically good comes from the 1954 Creed of the Church of Scientology. “That Man is basically good. That he is seeking to Survive. That his survival depends upon himself and upon his fellows and his attainment of brotherhood with the Universe.” Christian rehab programs believe the opposite – that man is a sinner, but the idea that people choose drugs as a solution to a problem is mostly untrue. People start to use drugs because they enjoy the rush or high that they produce.

 

[TR 0 used at Narconon Tijuana]

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The goal of confronting people and problems is purpose of the Training Routines, or TRs, that are used in both Narconon and Scientology. TR 0 consists of sitting for hours without moving. In TR 0 Bullbait one sits quietly without moving, and without flinching as a coach screams at you. Later exercises involve quoting the book Alice in Wonderland, walking like a robot and shouting at ashtrays, all designed to increase a patient’s ability to confront their problems. When these procedures go on for hours at a time they can create a hypnotic effect. There is no evidence that they have a therapeutic effect.

 

[Narconon’s false depiction of drug residues]

Even when a person is not actively using drugs, the drug residues are still resting in the fatty tissues of the body, waiting to be woken up again. Narconon has its own process for removing these drug toxins so the body is never again influenced by past drug use.

This is why a treatment program that addresses all the facets of addiction recovery is so important. In life, even years after cessation of drug use, the body can still metabolize fat, and, if drug residuals are still stored in those fatty tissues, they will react on the body. Not only is this like experiencing a drug trip all over again (even years into recovery), but it might incite a relapse. That’s why getting clean the right way the first time is so important.

 

[Fat cells, or Lipocytes]

Here is the heart of L. Ron Hubbard’s theory of drugs: that all drugs leave residues in the body that can be released to cause the drug’s effect again. It’s untrue and the drawing that accompanies the article is a fantasy. Brabenec uses the prefered Scientology term “fatty tissues” rather than fat cell or lipocyte. In the 1978 policy “The Purification Rundown Replaces The Sweat Program” Hubbard famously claimed that “there is no such thing as a fat cell.” In fact there are fat cells and they don’t store drugs or radiation.

Scientology’s front groups churn out content intended to establish themselves as the expert in a particular field. Narconon in particular has a site for each facility which share content with the main blog for the organization. With the use of statistics from government agencies and news about trends in addiction they intend to promote the theories and policies of founder L. Ron Hubbard as the solution to the problem of drugs. The Narconon program is founded on false ideas about saunas, vitamins and the storage of drug residues, but they can never modernize or adopt other treatment methods. Hubbard’s policies will be their guide as long as they exist.

 
— Rod Keller

 
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HowdyCon 2019 in Los Angeles

Janis Grady has set the June 22 combined event. Her annual reunion and barbecue will coincide with the Saturday event for HowdyCon. If you wish to attend, you will need to RSVP with Janis (janisgrady@gmail.com), and there will be a small contribution she’ll be asking for to help pay costs.

HOTEL: Janis tells us she’s worked out a deal with Hampton Inn and Suites, at 7501 North Glenoaks Blvd, Burbank, (818) 768-1106. We have a $159 nightly rate for June 21 and 22, and we’re looking into getting the same rate for June 19 and 20.

Also, we have now secured our Friday night venue in Los Angeles, a small theater similar to our venue last year in Chicago. If you plan to join us, please rsvp to your proprietor at tonyo94 AT gmail.

 

 
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Scientology’s celebrities, ‘Ideal Orgs,’ and more!

[Catherine Bell, Chick Corea, and Nancy Cartwright]

We’ve been building landing pages about David Miscavige’s favorite playthings, including celebrities and ‘Ideal Orgs,’ and we’re hoping you’ll join in and help us gather as much information as we can about them. Head on over and help us with links and photos and comments.

Scientology’s celebrities, from A to Z! Find your favorite Hubbardite celeb at this index page — or suggest someone to add to the list!

Scientology’s ‘Ideal Orgs,’ from one end of the planet to the other! Help us build up pages about each these worldwide locations!

Scientology’s sneaky front groups, spreading the good news about L. Ron Hubbard while pretending to benefit society!

Scientology Lit: Books reviewed or excerpted in our weekly series. How many have you read?

 
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THE WHOLE TRACK

[ONE year ago] Garcias ask for hearing on farcical ‘arbitration’; Scientology files 600 pages in Laura D case
[TWO years ago] LAPD PROBING SCIENTOLOGY AND DANNY MASTERSON FOR MULTIPLE RAPES, COVER-UP
[THREE years ago] Scientology, in forced-abortion case: It’s not abuse if you don’t complain when it’s happening
[FOUR years ago] How’s this for a gift on L. Ron Hubbard’s birthday? ‘Going Clear’ in theaters March 13
[FIVE years ago] John Travolta’s fun night at the Oscars
[SIX years ago] Sunday Funnies: Get Your Infant Audited!
[SEVEN years ago] SCIENTOLOGY FILES FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT AGAINST DEBBIE COOK

 
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Scientology disconnection, a reminder

Bernie Headley has not seen his daughter Stephanie in 5,377 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 1,508 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 2,010 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 1,490 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 553 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 441 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 3,748 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 1,616 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 2,390 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,164 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 2,510 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,076 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 6,996 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,163 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 2,744 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 3,004 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,044 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 1,756 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 1,282 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 5,371 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 2,511 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 2,831 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 7,687 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 2,806 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,162 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 5,464 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 1,570 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 1,972 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 1,844 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 1,427 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 1,922 days.
Mary Jane Sterne has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,176 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 13,285 days.

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Posted by Tony Ortega on March 3, 2019 at 07:00

E-mail tips to tonyo94 AT gmail DOT com or follow us on Twitter. We also post updates at our Facebook author page. After every new story we send out an alert to our e-mail list and our FB page.

Our new book with Paulette Cooper, Battlefield Scientology: Exposing L. Ron Hubbard’s dangerous ‘religion’ is now on sale at Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats. Our book about Paulette, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, is on sale at Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook versions. We’ve posted photographs of Paulette and scenes from her life at a separate location. Reader Sookie put together a complete index. More information can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.

The Best of the Underground Bunker, 1995-2018 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2018), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)

Other links: BLOGGING DIANETICS: Reading Scientology’s founding text cover to cover | UP THE BRIDGE: Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists | GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice | SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING: Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts | Shelly Miscavige, ten years gone | The Lisa McPherson story told in real time | The Cathriona White stories | The Leah Remini ‘Knowledge Reports’ | Hear audio of a Scientology excommunication | Scientology’s little day care of horrors | Whatever happened to Steve Fishman? | Felony charges for Scientology’s drug rehab scam | Why Scientology digs bomb-proof vaults in the desert | PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ

Watch our short videos that explain Scientology’s controversies in three minutes or less…

Check your whale level at our dedicated page for status updates, or join us at the Underground Bunker’s Facebook discussion group for more frivolity.

Our non-Scientology stories: Robert Burnham Jr., the man who inscribed the universe | Notorious alt-right inspiration Kevin MacDonald and his theories about Jewish DNA | The selling of the “Phoenix Lights” | Astronomer Harlow Shapley‘s FBI file | Sex, spies, and local TV news | Battling Babe-Hounds: Ross Jeffries v. R. Don Steele

 

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