Name: Strap Yourself to the Mast
Genre: Comedy
Duration: 25 min

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In 1977, the Los Angeles Times reports on the nine-day abduction of Frances Winn by Synanon; Chuck spends $62,000 on guns and ammunition; sentenced to five years probation, Chuck loses everything and dies in a nursing home.

The Synanon Fix: Did the Cure Become a Cult?

Strap Yourself to the Mast

Chuck's behavior becomes more belligerent and abusive; he forms a military-like boot camp for delinquent children where corporal punishment abounds; TIME Magazine publishes "Swinging at Synanon" and Chuck sues for $76 million as his paranoia grows.

What in the Hell Is Happening?

Chuck establishes "The Synanon Religion" and maintains their tax-exempt status; Chuck becomes increasingly authoritative and dictatorial; many members find themselves weighing the benefits and costs of the choices they're forced to make.

A War on Convention

Recovering alcoholic Charles Dederich opens a drug rehabilitation program; Synanon, as he names it, soon attracts celebrities and non-addicts who donate their time and wealth; the community grows into a movement that expands across the country.

Here Come the Dopefiends

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The expansion and collapse of the Synanon organization, from its inception as a drug rehabilitation program to its descent into a cult, as told by those who lived through it.

S1 E4 | Strap Yourself to the Mast