Scientology link to clinic Man looks to close down Quebec rehab centre EMILIE DUBREUIL QMI Agency March 5, 2012 (Published in the Toronto Sun) MONTREAL— A B.C. man has made it his mission to shut down a Quebec rehab clinic with links to the Church of Scientology that he says is running a “scam.” Former patients at the clinic told QMI Agency that the treatment involves screaming at ashtrays and taking high doses of vitamins before spending hours in a sauna. In 2008, David Love, 60, sought help at a drug rehab centre in Trois-Rivières, Que., located halfway between Montreal and Quebec City. The program at the Narconon Trois-Rivières Drug Rehab Centre cost $30,000 and boasts a success rate of 80%— higher than traditional addiction centres. A year after Love’s treatment, he said he was off drugs — but suffering from post-traumatic stress. He told QMI Agency that he’s been on a crusade for the last three years to shut the clinic down. “All I’ve done is devote my time to try and help people avoid being victims of this scam,” he said. “I help those who leave, I write complaints, I meet with politicians. When I’ve reached my goal (to close the clinic) I will return to B.C.” The clinic’s patients are almost exclusively English Canadians or Americans. Love said he was treated at the clinic along with 60 people. After his stay, he said he was hired to work there — which is not uncommon. ‘Drug-free withdrawal’ The clinic does not employ certified addiction specialists, nor does it hire doctors or psychologists. Part of the treatment at the centre is called the “Narconon Drug-free withdrawal.” Narconon’s unique drug bomb vitamin formula with the minerals, calcium and magnesium, has been successful for decades in treating the withdrawal symptoms of coming off practically any drug. Other treatments include what’s referred to as the “purification course,” which consists of spending five to six hours a day in a sauna for three weeks. To help induce maximal sweating, patients are asked to ingest vegetable oil along with a high dose of the vitamin niacin. QMI Agency has learned that patients were given daily doses of 5,000 mg of the vitamin. Health Canada recommends people only take a 500mg daily dose of niacin. A portrait of L. Ron. Hubbard, the founder of Scientology and former science fiction writer, hangs in the entrance hall of the clinic. The treatment administered in this clinic is based on Hubbard’s writings. Narconon Trois-Rivières declared revenues of $2,526,630 — not including government subsidies — for 2010. Narconon and Montreal’s Church of Scientology did not return QMI Agency’s phone calls.
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Topic: The Toronto Sun - Scientology Link to Clinic (Read 3265 times)