From 1961 to 1966, the author of this article spent a part of almost every day at Synanon, whose participants consisted primarily of former hardcore criminal/addicts who were in the process of changing their lives. The author became "research director" and a member of the early board of directors. His work at Synanon yielded a book entitled, "The Tunnel Back: Synanon" (Yablonsky, 1965). The book delineates the structure of the Synanon One methodology as an anti-criminal society and a clear breakthrough in the process of treating criminal/addicts. The Synanon program initially involved Dederich having approximately 60 former hardcore criminal/addicts living with him and staying drug-free in a beach house in Santa Monica. During these early years, the interaction of these individuals in communal living under the motivation to become free of drug addiction and a criminal lifestyle based largely in illegal drugs yielded long-term, positive behavioral changes. The program began its decline toward demise when Dederich sought to move Synanon to another level of human experience by attempting to develop an all-inclusive utopian community for any who wished to join the community, whether or not they had a serious drug addiction. The author of this article touts the basic elements of Synanon as a TC, in which former addicts help current addicts to deal with their addiction and become drug-free. The author advises that the thousands of replications of the Synanon TC method have shown the world a methodology that will become the dominant model for the treatment of drug addiction. 6 references