Released on: January 30, 2008, 1:56 pm

Press Release Author: Megan Bedford

Industry: Education

Press Release Summary: When a well-liked celebrity dies, the shock wave that rolls
through society may generate a life-saving review of one's assumptions and
priorities. For example, with the death of basketball player Len Bias in 1986,
millions of people suddenly became aware of the risk of heart attack from the use of
cocaine. With actor Heath Ledger dying in New York with supplies of six prescription
medications in his apartment, the best thing that may result is a re-examination of
one's reliance on prescription medications.

Press Release Body: The use of prescriptions to put us to sleep, to make us more
alert, calm panic attacks, make more compliant students or take the "edge" off daily
living have become so commonplace as to seem harmless. What may be forgotten is that
each drug is toxic to some slighter or greater degree, and each drug comes with a
list of undesirable side effects and risk of overdose. There are no signs of
intentional overuse by Mr. Ledger, however, the risk of death is just as high from
accidental overdoses as it is for those who abuse prescription drugs.

According to CNN, the six prescription medications in Mr. Ledger's apartment were:
Zopiclone, Diazepam, Lormetazepam, Temazepam, Alprazolam and Donormyl. Zopiclone,
sold in the U.S. as Lunesta, is used to control insomnia. Diazepam is marketed as
Valium, and is used as a sedative and to help insomnia. Loremtazepam is sold in the
U.K. for treatment of severe insomnia. Temazepam, which may be known to some under
the brand name Restoril, is a strong sedative and helps induce sleep. Alprazolam is
known by its trade name Xanax and is used for anxiety and panic attacks. Donormyl is
a drug made in France that is used for severe insomnia.

Every drug in the list has addictive properties. Some are widely abused in the U.S.
or Europe. Side effects from these drugs include agitation, loss of memory,
confusion and respiratory depression.

Overuse of prescription drugs, whether accidental or intentional, can result in
disaster. In 2006, seven million Americans ages 12 and older were current abusers of
prescription drugs. More than two million people started abusing of prescription
drugs, more than any other category.

When a person finds that they need to escape from a trap of prescription drug abuse,
they can break free with the drug-free program at Narconon Arrowhead, one of the
nation's leading drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers, located in Canadian,
Oklahoma.

"This tragedy can help save other lives if we reach out to help those who are taking
their lives in their hands by abusing drugs of the same type that may have caused
Mr. Ledger's death," stated Ryan Thorpe, Director of Admissions at Narconon
Arrowhead. "It is our mission to make our drug-free addiction treatment available to
as many addicts as possible. This way, we truly win back our citizens from
addiction."

To save someone from addiction, call Narconon Arrowhead today at 1-800-468-6933 or
go to www.stopaddiction.com. The Narconon drug and alcohol rehabilitation program
was founded in 1966 by William Benitez in Arizona State Prison, and is based on the
humanitarian works of L. Ron Hubbard. In more than 120 centers around the world,
Narconon programs replace the loss and pain of alcohol or drug addiction with
productive, enjoyable lives.



Web Site: http://www.stopaddiction.com

Contact Details: Narconon Arrowhead
HC 67 Box 5, Canadian OK 74425
800-468-6933
918-339-5901
info@stopaddiction.com