Drug abuse and addiction are a major burden to society. Estimates of the total overall costs of substance abuse in the United States—including health- and crime-related costs as well as losses in productivity—exceed half a trillion dollars annually. This includes approximately $181 billion for illicit drugs,  $168 billion for tobacco, and $185 billion for alcohol. Staggering as these numbers are, however, they do not fully describe the breadth of deleterious public health—and safety— implications, which include family disintegration, loss of employment, failure in school, domestic violence, child abuse, and other crimes.

Many people do not understand why individuals become addicted to drugs or how drugs change the brain to foster compulsive drug abuse. They mistakenly view drug abuse and addiction as strictly a social problem and may characterize those who take drugs as morally weak. One very common belief is that drug abusers should be able to just stop taking drugs if they are only willing to change their behavior. What people often underestimate is the complexity of drug addiction— stopping drug abuse is not simply a matter of willpower, it is a war that wages within the addict and when drugs has its' grip, addiction normally wins. Through scientific advances we now know much more about how exactly drugs work in the brain, and we also know that drug addiction can be successfully treated to help people stop abusing drugs and resume their productive lives.

Addiction is very difficult to overcome, but it is possible. Many addicts who have relapsed time and time again, and have lost all hope think it is pointless to continue seeking out help. But Narconon Arrowhead has a proven technology that work to treat drug and alcohol addiction successfully. Addiction is an affliction that affects millions of Americans every day. It not only affects the addict, but their families and friends. They can be helped.