Name: The Synanon Fix: Did The Cure Become a Cult?
Released: 2024-04-01T00:00:00.000Z

TV Show · Documentary

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

2024 · 59m

Director Rory Kennedy

EPISODE 1

Here Come the Dopefiends

Recovering alcoholic Charles Dederich opens a drug rehabilitation programme. 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.
EPISODE 2

A War on Convention

Chuck establishes the Synanon religion and maintains their tax-exempt status. However, his utopian vision warps into a nightmare as he becomes authoritative, compelling members to weigh their choices.
EPISODE 3

What the Hell Is Happening?

Chuck's behaviour 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.
EPISODE 4

Strap Yourself to the Mast

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.