About Us

Narconon Riverbend Retreat Drug Rehab Treatment Center – About Us

A Real Solution to Ending Drug and Alcohol Abuse… begins here.

The Riverbend Retreat drug rehab program officially opened in 2006 but the roots of the program and its successes have been documented for over four decades.

Where we stand above the rest is due to our technical perfection and application of an individualized approach to address each client’s specific needs so they return to a life without drugs.

Our Executive Director, Medical Director, Board of Directors and key staff have years of experience in successfully treating addiction and they specialize in getting results where other programs have failed. The facility has grown to include multiple buildings on a 15-acre campus in a wonderful setting.

The Narconon drug rehabilitation and education program was founded in 1966 by William Benitez and uses the drug-free rehabilitation and social education methodology based on research developed by American author and humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard.

For example, our suana detox and cleansing program is unsurpassed in effectiveness in the treatment and rehabilitation field for restoring health to individuals, removing stored drug residues and reducing physical cravings for drugs. This technology has been used around the world for many years with rave results.  Our program is considered non-traditional in that it is not based on the 12-step philosophy that addiction is a non-curable disease.

The Rehabilitation Program Outline

There are several steps, or phases to our rehab program, and each one is specially designed to address all areas and aspects of life in an individualized manner and not in a group setting. Here is a brief description:

DRUG-FREE WITHDRAWAL – This first step of the program assists the individual to cease current drug use rapidly and with minimal discomfort through proper nutrition, vitamins and care from experienced staff.

THE COMMUNICATIONS COURSE – This course extroverts the student and gets him into better communication with others and with the environment. Each step is a specific drill on the parts of communication and how to get oneself understood and how to communicate with others.

THE NEW LIFE DETOXIFICATION PROGRAM – This step of the program removes drug residues and other toxic substances from the body. These residues remain locked in fatty tissues of the body and can be released into the blood stream years after the person has stopped taking drugs. The residuals can cause cravings for more drugs and thus need to be eliminated from the body which is accomplished through an exact regimen of exercise, sauna and nutritional supplements, ridding the fatty tissues in the body of drug residues.

THE LEARNING IMPROVEMENT COURSE – Gives the student the ability to study and retain knowledge along with the ability to recognize and overcome barriers to study and learning. The student learns data on the three barriers to study. He learns how to properly use a dictionary so that each word and its definitions are fully understood, how to do demonstrations of concepts so he can easily grasp them and how to spot and handle any difficulties in his study.

THE COMMUNICATION & PERCEPTION COURSE - Addicts tend to live in the past, disconnecting mentally from the present and unable to plan for the future.  This program step is designed to improve the individual’s ability to focus on goals and objectives long enough to accomplish them.  These exercises help students with the difficult task of handling the environment in which they are situated.  They increase awareness of present time surroundings and at the same time, increase self control and focus.  The end result is an improved ability to set goals and achieve them through focus, concentration and communication skills.

THE UPS AND DOWNS IN LIFE COURSE – Gives the student the ability to spot and handle those influences in his environment that would cause him to lose any gains he has made. He learns the characteristics of the social personality as well as those of the anti-social personality so that he can spot the difference and better choose his friends and associates. Completing this course makes the student less susceptible to those who would influence him to revert to drugs.

THE PERSONAL VALUES AND INTEGRITY COURSE – Gives the student the data he needs to improve his survival potential. It teaches the student the eight survival dynamics, gives him invaluable knowledge about personal ethics, honesty and integrity and shows him how to correct contra-survival behavior by ridding himself of past harmful deeds.

THE NARCONON CHANGING CONDITIONS OF LIFE COURSE – Gives the student the exact step-by-step technology he needs to improve his life. This covers exactly how to apply these steps to improve conditions in life. It also teaches the student how to repair previous bad conditions and how he can apply this technology and keep winning.

“THE WAY TO HAPPINESS” COURSE - Teaches the student a non-sectarian moral code which is a guide to living a happy life based on the book The Way to Happiness®.

EXTENDED/ INDIVIDUALIZED PROGRAM – Before a student completes our rehabilitation program the case supervisors do a thorough review of all of the details and helps address specific areas that need additional attention before beginning the final discharge planning procedure. After discharge, graduate follow-up is part of ongoing support that we offer to each student.  This is a key ingredient to our success rate of over 75%.  We support the addict all the way to a lifetime of sobriety.  We make sure the student has handled the issues that led him to chemical dependence in the first place, and help him to formulate a plan that will provide him stability and direction when he goes back to his original environment.

Licenses, Credentials and Endorsements

Narconon Riverbend Retreat was warmly welcomed by the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, as seen here in a letter received from the state agency, stating “The Office for Addictive Disorders recognizes the overwhelming task before us to serve those individuals, families and communities that suffer from addiction in our state…your commitment to this task is admirable and we welcome you and your dedicated staff”.

Here is our license from the State of Louisiana to operate a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility.

We are also members of the Better Business Bureau as well as the Livingston Parish Chamber of Commerce.

Our Medical Director – Rohit S. Adi, MD

In addition to being a Board Member and Medical Director for Narconon Louisiana, Dr. Adi is currently the Assistant Medical Director of the Emergency Department for Our Lady Of The Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge. He is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and previously practiced at Palmerton Hospital in Pennsylvania. His residency was completed at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, IL. Dr. Adi is also a Doctoral Addiction Counselor and Narconon Riverbend Retreat is proud to be the only Narconon center where the Medical Director is on site to assist with the medical needs of our program participants.