Behind the Bastards

Part One: Synanon: The Drug Rehab Program That Built Its Own Army

Jun 22, 2021
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INSIGHT

Community Beat Punishment For Addiction

  • Addiction support shifted from punishment to community-based mutual aid early in US history.
  • AA and indigenous sobriety circles inspired modern peer-led recovery models.
ANECDOTE

Dederich's Troubled Origins

  • Charles Dederich grew up with trauma, alcoholism in his family, and a strict Catholic upbringing that he rebelled against.
  • He later became a heavy drinker, flunked college, and moved to California to start anew.
INSIGHT

Psychedelia Fueled Charisma

  • Dederich combined AA methods with psychedelic experience to become a charismatic leader.
  • His LSD trip shifted his identity and set the stage for founding Synanon.
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