Recover today without rehab!

Why Traditional Treatment Fails

Traditional treatment, the medical model, and the self-help model has a success rate of less than 25%, to me that is not a success rate that is a failure rate. The reasons for this negative outcome is debatable, however, what is not debatable is recognizing that we must stack the deck in our favor in order to raise the outcomes to positive results.

Recovery Principle

We become what we think about and add feeling to. This is the principle of the “Law of Attraction”. The principle applied to recovery is simple, focus on what you want for your life, i.e. happiness and joy and not on what you do not want, pain, addiction, and desperation. Focusing on “what is wrong with me” will only bring you more of what is wrong with you. Please do not misinterpret this concept, you must first recognize that alcohol or other mind altering substances have created an issue in your life, however, the remedy is in focusing on the solution and not the addiction.

This brings up some significant challenges for the traditional approach to addiction. First, the approach suggests that you address the root cause of your addiction. Which suggests you focus on what is wrong with you, how you can fix or alleviate what is wrong with you and then take action steps. In order to recover we must take preventative steps in order to alleviate guilt and remorse however, our focus must be fixed on what we want to become as a human being. In religious circles this is the concept of “Atonement”. We recognize the challenge, admit we are at fault, communicate the malidy, take responsibility, ammend the issue and move on prudently without the lingering of guilt and remorse.

Another significant challenge with traditional treatment is the insistence on relying on the Twelve-Step programs. This is not a complete negative if you are oriented to what these programs are and are not. Recognizing how to protect yourself from the potential negative messages you may be exposed to. The bottom line is this, these programs are great tools but they can be detrimental if you do not recognize that people make up these programs and people are often full of opinions. Here is the long and short of the Twelve-Step movement: The steps are suggested, there is no right or wrong, and an enhanced spirituality is the result of the program and not a requirement to recover.

Recovery Principle

Someone who chooses not to recover isn’t foolish or SICK! They’re just unable to currently process new ideas logically, nor are they “in denial” or manipulated by the disease. No, it’s simpler than that:

Given what they know and what they believe, the afflicted individual is making the right decision at the moment they are making it based upon the information they have at the time.

We always make our decisions based on what we know and believe. A prudent decision is the path you take based on what you know and believe!

The challenge, then, is to realize that perhaps the afflicted knows something you don’t, or, just as likely, doesn’t believe what you believe. Your job as a helper is to figure out what your client’s biases, worldview, fears and beliefs are, and as a helper, your job is to facilitate the dissemination of that knowledge to them via methods that promote growth and not repel growth. That is “DO NOT PUSH” you will create resistance!

If you keep questioning their beliefs and judgment, they’re going to keep thinking the way they think. If you keep pushing and cornering them they are going to push back. If the purpose of your interaction with the afflicted individual is to assist them in making the decisions that are in their best interest, doesn’t it make sense to present all of the relevant information to the individual so that they can make the decision based upon ALL of the information and not simply pushed into making a decision that may or may not agree with?

This is the fundamental challenge with the traditional approach. This is the key that Bill Wilson recognized when he and his cohorts began to transcribe the process they found successful to recover. The approach was to educate on the process, suggest action steps, and highlight the results if the process is followed. Yet, today often meeting rooms are filled with individuals that do not comprehend this tactic and attempt to tell people what they “must” do. Likewise, addiction professionals have developed an approach that confronts the “disease”. This too is met with resistance and is counter productive.

Recovery Principle

Victims are Victimized! This is sometimes difficult to accept. Each and every one of us has the desire to know “why”. It is a natural fact that our brains search for meaning in every situation. Therefore, we are inclined to ask the questions, why me? Why do I have this condition? The answers often come as; “my father was an alcoholic”, “I was traumatized”, “I have depression” and many other reasons we are alcoholic or addicts. This is a dangerous proposition because it suggests that we are victims of addiction. The truth of the matter is simple, in order to recover we absolutely 100% do NOT need to know “WHY”, we only need to know that we are afflicted with this malady and it will not simply disappear.

Primary Rehab Center Details

Primary Focus of Provider:

• SA – Substance abuse treatment services
• MHSA – Mix of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services

Services Provided:

• TX – Substance Abuse Treatment

Type of Care:

• OP – Outpatient
• PH – Partial hospitalization/day treatment
• RS – Residential short-term treatment (30 days or less)
• RL – Residential long-term treatment (more than 30 days)

Special Programs or Groups Offered:

• CO – Persons with co-occurring mental and substance abuse disorders
• WN – Women
• MN – Men
• DU – DUI/DWI offenders
• CJ – Criminal justice clients

Forms of Payment Accepted:

• SF – Self payment

Special Language Services:

• SP – Spanish