Synanon

"What hope is there for a man so desperate for money to support his drug addiction that he drove the girl he loved to prostitution--and, ultimately, suicide? Or another man, who frustrated the attempts of some of America's top psychiatrists to halt his ten year run of dope addiction and crime? Synanon. This book about Synanon, a highly controversial organization dedicated to curing drug addiction, explains, among other things, why it makes newspaper headlines. Its non-orthodox methods of handling addicts, its outspoken attitude toward traditional treatments, and its all-addict administration have made it a target for sharp criticism and bitter persecution. Each year of Synanon's existence has been a struggle for survival. Money is always short. Facilities for feeding and housing members are never-ending problems. Antiquated laws and unsympathetic public officials have often thrown up seemingly insurmountable barriers. But Synanon, in the business of human survival, has itself learned to survive. Under the determined leadership of its remarkable founder, Chuck Dederich, it grew from a handful of desperate people living in an old storefront to an organization of over 900 members, with facilities in New York, Detroit, San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco. And in the final analysis, the pros and cons of Synanon's unorthodox methods, the questions of why and how it works become relatively unimportant--it does work." -- Provided by publisher