I find it still more intriguing that each of them (presumably independently) decided to seek out Synanon (like David Deitch did) following their time on The Narco Farm, before eventually continuing on their way to the respective programs that they each began or developed.
Speaking of
"seek[ing] out Synanon ... following their time on The Narco Farm," here below is a statement from another such individual, although it looks like Synanon may have been the end terminus for
Charlie Hamer's adventures in communal living with fellow addicts (he was in his mid-late fifties when he joined Synanon).
Fwiw, said statement appears to be formatted as if in answer to specific questions posed by Lewis Yablonsky. It was written in the early 1960s, probably 1961 or 62 (imo), and it may or may not have been subsequently edited by Yablonsky and/or others.
The following excerpt, attributed to Synanon resident
Charlie Hamer, comes from Lewis Yablonsky's
The Tunnel Back: Synanon (©1965, The Macmillan Company, pp 16-17), color emphasis added:
I was born May 1, 1903, in Henryetta, Oklahoma. My first encounter with narcotics came at the age of nineteen (1922), from association with a local Chinese family in Oklahoma. I was introduced to opium and smoked same for three years. My first hypodermic injection happened in 1925, with the residue from an opium pipe (
yen-shee). About one year later I began using morphine intravenously. This drug, in the pure form, was obtained from unethical doctors, pharmaceutical houses, peddlers, etc. I built up a large tolerance and used fifteen to twenty-five grains per day. I obtained money for my drugs by theft, robbery, confidence games, etc. Narcotics were cheap in those days, selling from $35 to $75 per ounce. I used morphine and cocaine until 1933, and was then introduced to heroin. I came to California in 1937, and remained free from drugs until 1943, using alcohol to excess during this period. I again started using opium by injection and orally (
samlow). I shipped out with the Merchant Marines from 1943 to 1945, using many drugs: heroin, cocaine, hasheesh, morphine, etc., throughout the world.
In 1946, I again started using heroin and used it constantly until coming to Synanon.
Family Background: Fatherless at the age of one. Youngest of five children. Reared by mother. Little supervision as mother neither had the time nor knowledge to supply this. Married and divorced three times from 1925 to 1947.
Education: Eight years of grammar school. Four years high school.
Arrest Record: I was first arrested at the age of ten for stealing coal and domestic fowls. At seventeen I was arrested for drunkenness, disturbing the peace, fighting, etc. Until the age of twenty-six, arrested several times for forgery, theft, robbery, vagrancy, etc. I was sentenced to Oklahoma Penitentiary in 1929, for forgery. Released in 1931. I was arrested for petty theft several times in the next two years. During 1936 and 1937, I was arrested for suspicion of robbery twice. Also found guilty of possession of narcotics in 1943, and was sentenced to eight months in Federal Jail, Oklahoma City.
I was arrested in San Diego in 1945 for possession of opium and was sentenced to the Federal Hospital, Lexington, Kentucky, for two years. Released in 1947. From 1947 until 1954, sentenced to Los Angeles County Jail five times for addiction, forgery, and forgery of narcotic prescriptions. Served about four and one-half years. I was arrested in 1955, in Los Angeles, and sentenced to two years in U.S.P.H. Hospital, Fort Worth, Texas. Released in 1956, I immediately returned to drugs and used continuously until coming to Synanon in 1959.
I was skeptical of the Synanon experiment, but desperately searching for some solution to my problems. I was appointed to the Board of Directors in 1960, as Director of Welfare, and since that time have been deeply involved in this program. I am especially interested in any youth program concerning narcotic addiction, and I believe that I can make a real contribution to this particular aspect of drug addiction and antisocial behavior. Synanon worked for me by the fact that I found myself involved with a group that seemed to have a definite goal and that gave me trust, kindness, love, and respect, but, above all, a feeling of acceptance. By learning to verbalize my thoughts and being able to communicate with others, certain things about my particular personality seemed to become quite clear and some of my problems which I considered of the utmost gravity suddenly seemed to be of no consequence.
The fact that I was free to leave at any time had a great effect on me. My relationships with my fellow man, both members of Synanon and the larger society, greatly improved. I sincerely believe that the communication block which seems to exist between the addict and society has been greatly diminished by the Synanon method. With the exception of the brief rundown of my education, this fairly well sums up my criminal and addiction history. Of course, there are many incidents that I have completely forgotten, but I meant this summary to be a real attempt at complete honesty.[/list]
