Looking for a rehab that is owned by a non-Christian religion called Scientology where drug use is common and your child is taught to trick scared parents in exchange for a job and a commission? Dreaming of the peace that comes from knowing your child will never be the same? Praying for a rehab and a fake religion mixed into one terrible and abusive problem? Look no more. Narconon Fresh Start is what you have been looking for! read more

I was forced there in 2012 and it was literal hell. It is a mind control freak camp that my family paid well over 30,000 to send me to. I went to a REAL rehab a year after spending 114 grueling abusive days at this place in the middle of nowhere. After going to a real licensed rehab I got my life back. This place traumatized me and held me captive at 28yrs old. Forcing training routines used in regular practice of Scientology forcing me to do all 7 books of Scientology graduating each book until the 8th book Scientology uses called "The way to happiness" this is 100% scam. They also force you to sign their billion year SeaOrg contract while in the unmediated deadly withdrawal phase in a cabin in the middle of nowhere up in Warner springs CA. They tell your family you will be in Orange County on the beach which is a total lie. They drive you into the mountains up past Temecula and Marrietta CA and lock you into a compound. If you try to leave you can't bc you are 130mi from any sort of town. Stay away! read more

Narconon had us pay a huge dollar amount UPFRONT only cash or cashiers check for a reason...because they know your not going to want to pay them once you get there and see what a joke they are. They are frauds. They have multiple lawsuits opened against them because their program is not based on science but rather on the beliefs of the founder (who based his beliefs on scientology). We lost about $30,000 which would have done alot of good put into an actual non-scientology based program. You will notice that all good reviews will be by them and everything else will be bad reviews. read more

In 2007, I attended this program at the Sunshine Summit Lodge location in southern California. My aunt, by the grace of God, found it on the internet while I was sitting in jail for multiple drug offenses. This program saved my life. It's not your typical Drug and Alcohol Rehab. It teaches you so much more than just how to be clean and sober. I am a better daughter, granddaughter, niece, wife, and friend now than I was before, even before drugs, and it's all because of what I learned in those 5 months I spent at Fresh Start. This program can help anyone who wants to end the cycle of addiction and is willing to change. It does this in many ways, but I feel most importantly from my own experience it did this by teaching me how to take responsibility for my wrong doings, and really learn how to make sound rational decisions and not react solely by emotions. This is something that most addicts have a lot of problems with, and that is why I believe that this program works so much when other programs may have failed a person in the past. One other thing that sets this program apart from many others is the people that work there. Each and every one of them has been touched by addiction at some point in their life, whether it is because they themselves had stuggled with addiction or because they had loved ones that did. The staff cares, you go there get your life back and leave with a whole new family of friends that love you. You can't get that anywhere else. This is the best program out there for Drug and Alcohol Addiction by far! read more

If I could give this zero stars, I would. 1. Be aware that Fresh Start is connected to L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology, and no one will tell you that until you arrive at the facility and see the big poster touting the fact that the work they do is "based on the principles of L. Ron Hubbard." If you read everything on the site you will find that one of the founders was connected to Hubbard, but if you're feeling a little bit panicked about getting a loved one into rehab, you might not read everything carefully. Narconon--mentioned on the site--is a Scientology organization and is nothing to do with Narcotics Anonymous, the 12 step program. Look it up on Wikipedia. 2. Despite what the site says, alcohol does not linger in fat cells long after drinking has stopped. Alcohol is incompatible with fat, and the system does not need to be flushed out by sweating in a sauna. Check with a medical doctor--Fresh Start does not have one on site--before you believe this. And sauna use can be dangerous--again, no medical personnel on site and it's a long drive to a real medical facility. 3. Counselors have minimal training--they are not licensed therapists and most are graduates of the program itself. Several have not left the place in 10 years or more and live in dorms on site. Like cult members. 4. I don't know how the pictures on the site for California were taken, but the place itself is depressing in the extreme. The outdoor exercise equipment is likely unusable much of the year as temperatures regularly top 100 degrees. By the time we flew to San Diego, made the hour-plus drive to the facility, toured it and THEN discovered the L. Ron Hubbard poster, it was late and we weren't sure what to do--we had an already detoxing addict with us and didn't even have a hotel room to take him to. We left him for the night, troubled, did the research we SHOULD have done before we signed on, and began leaving messages for all the employees who had told us what a great program this was. Fortunately, we were able to stop the charges to our credit card and insisted that someone bring our addict back to us in San Diego so we could fly back home. It took most of the day, and everyone we spoke to was angry and argumentative--not like a business or a medical facility, but like a cult. There are lots of good facilities--do the research and find one of those. read more

"WARNING" This program was completely misrepresented to us, and we completely agree with Not2skinny F. Unfortunately, they got $33,000.00 out of us before my husband even arrived to the facility. The program was nothing like Dan promised us. He TOTALLY lied about the services my husband would getting. I went out to California and saw this first hand. STAY AWAY from this place. DLK read more

1 year ago my son was in shambles, he was heavily involved with Heroin and would do anything to get his hands on the next high. For months, I laid awake at night worried if he would get arrested or die from an overdose. He was unable to keep his job, and started dealing to support his own habit. Come to find out, this is more common of a problem then most would like to think. I was heartbroken with limited time, and scared for his life. I started calling and searching for anything to change the direction he was heading in. Going over my options I found Fresh Start, I met with some of the staff and heard how this program was different. They work on the individuals ability to take responsibility for their own decisions and actions, and how this does not have to be a life long affliction to always be stuck living with. He had his ups and downs at first going through detox as to be expected, but something very impressive happened shortly after this process was finished... I could hear a difference in his voice and the way he spoke to me, the rage and pain was lessening, and the young man who I thought I lost years ago started to come back. After he finished the sauna part of the program I came to visit him, and I was amazed to say the least, of the change I could see in him. The sick pale track marked stranger who had stolen my sons life had vanished, He had filled back out, had a nice tan from the California sun and actually was smiling and laughing when we went out to lunch. The things this place has helped restore to me and my son was unbelievable, and he wasn't even finished yet. after time passed he worked on the rest of the program, the parts that deal with good / bad people in your life, how to handle yourself in situations, take responsibility etc. when he graduated he didn't just return home: he got a job, his own place, and still to this day is sober and living an actual life worth living that he is happy with. Thank you Fresh Start for giving me my son back :) Vicky H. read more

Don't get conned in by a drug referral number. This is NOT a good program.

My son entered the Narconon program after being in 3 different non-residential rehabs (including AA/NA meetings) that did not help him 'get clean' & start a new life. This program is not 'time defined', which allowed him the time to mature & build the strengths needed to move past drugs & build a life for himself. He was in the program the better part of a year and emerged as a mature young adult. The Narconon program is NOT time-defined...i.e., 90 or 120 days & then a half-way house. Info that connects this program to Scientology is just not true! My son is still connected to the religion in which he was brought up. It is almost 12 years since he finished the Narconon program and he is a mature, honest and respected man who has a life! read more

Our son went through this program, and I will tell you that it absolutely worked for him and our family. He is a changed person, has been clean 3+ years and we are completely happy with our experience. There is a lot of misconception around this program concerning Scientology. I spoke to the people working with my son frequently, and it is my experience that this is not a religion based program and at NO time was he encouraged or asked to join Scientology. He did learn many life skills that he is using in his daily life and he continues to make me proud. read more

Our experience here with a young adult we sent to the program was NOT good! We do NOT recommend. The irony of putting participants through a process of ridding your body of toxins and drugs and simultaneously condoning cigarette smoking? The young adult graduated from the program after 2 months on Friday and less than 3 days later is back to her old life. A complete and total waste of money and time. read more