Cruz praises Scientology for anti-drugs work

Here's a terrific article on Penelope Cruz views of Scientology

07/08/2006 - 08:45:55

Penelope Cruz has praised her ex-boyfriend Tom Cruise's controversial Scientology religion for helping "thousands" of drug addicts find sobriety.

Narconon, an in-patient rehabilitation programme for drug abusers based on a doctrine by Scientology founder L Ron Hubbard, claim to have a success rate of 70%, although an independent Swedish research study found such rates as low as 6.6%.

During her two-and-a-half year relationship with her Vanilla Sky co-star, Cruz read many books on the religion, of which Cruise is a devout follower.

She explains: "I have read a lot of books about it and some of those things I have studied have helped me with things in my life. I would feel bad with myself if I didn't say that I was grateful to it because of what I learned about it.

"A lot of my friends have been helped by their programme - they have the most successful anti-drug problem in the world and they deserve a lot of credit for it.

"They have places everywhere. It is amazing because it is about helping the person find the reason why they started in the beginning instead of creating guilt."

Cruise claims to have helped dozens of people conquer their drug addictions through Scientology programmes, saying: "I think it's appalling that people have to live a life of drug addiction when I have personally helped people get off drugs… I have an easier time stepping people off heroin then I do these psychotropic drugs."