William Benitez - Narconon Founder
Narconon (meaning no drugs) began in 1966 through the efforts of Arizona State Prison inmate William Benitez. A hard-core addict from the age of thirteen, then serving his fourth prison term, Benitez had unsuccessfully tried numerous ways to kick his drug habit.
After being sentenced to prison he had a realization that drug addiction had caused most of the problems in his life, including the current one. He set out to change himself through self-improvement.
Narconon discovers early drug education lecture by founder, Willy Benitez
It was April, 1968, and Bill Benitez was enjoying his second year drug free and first year out of Arizona State Prison where he had founded a new drug rehabilitation program – Narconon.
Already he recognized rehab was only part of it. He and other graduates needed to help children learn how to avoid this horror.
So here he was at Scottsdale High School, giving one of the first “drug education” lectures recorded anywhere.
Cataloguing its archives, Narconon staff recently uncovered this recorded lecture. It is literally historic and a very, very interesting document.
It reveals that much of what Narconon drug educators and others have worked decades to codify as effective was recognized intuitively by Benitez from the outset.
“Running through your beautiful minds,” he said to those high school youths, “you may be wondering why a lecture on narcotics addiction?”
Of course, drugs were narcotics then, not drugs.
In a modest but confident manner, Willy went on to describe how even right then drugs, especially LSD, were being promoted to them by international magazines.
To Read More and to wacth the Video ( Click Here ) - Narconon International Press Release
One of the First Narconon Graduates
At Narconon of Georgia there is one staff member, Gordy Weinand, who has much to celebrate.
Having graduated the first Narconon program with founder William Benitez in 1966, Gordy has been able to find happiness in sharing his successes with others over the last four decades.
"Success equals 40 years of being dedicated to the greatest self-help program in the world – Narconon," says Gordy, "My own personal successes in the past 40 years have given me the strength and courage to be a part of helping others fight their fight."
Narconon Realization
Here is a Narconon realization written from someone who came here hopelessly addicted to alcohol.
After 5 DUIS this person felt that there was no hope – and yet he found it in the Narconon drug treatment.
“I think that after this exercise today I realize what the most important thing for me to look at - and that is my life. I want more than anything to stay focused on me, and then my loved ones. I really do believe in making others happy and I can do that if I make myself happy.
Drugs and alcohol really do not make anyone happy – they just think it does. Their judgment is cloudy. Only the individual can make themselves happy.”
