The Myth of Hitting Rock Bottom
Our goal with an intervention is to help someone see the consequences of their substance use, to shine a light on something that they are missing. We want to help them choose recovery at a point before rock bottom.
Continue readingBattling Addiction and Mental Health Issues
To determine how to help someone, it is necessary to hear the stories of the people around them. To find the right facility for a person in need, we need to know whether the issue is an addiction or a mental health problem or both.
Continue readingHow Long Does It Take to Change a Habit?
To really change a behavior, you need to make a commitment and take action every single day. No one gets sober in a day, but you can commit to making a beginning any day you want.
Continue readingMy Story on Addiction
In recovery I have been able to do some amazing things. I adopted two children from Colombia, graduated from a top business school, and I started and sold a successful company. Getting sober has been, without a doubt, that one best accomplishments of my life.
Continue readingCase Study: Ivy League Cocktail (May)
May began her career at a hard-charging tech start up – it was a difficult job to get, but at a quality company that matched the quality of her college. Her hours were long and stressful and the job was very demanding. May continued to use Adderall at her job, which was common among the other young people at her company – they ever traded pills just like May had back in high school and college.
Continue readingCase Study: The Underemployed (Beth)
To this day, Beth calls me to invite me to join her on one of her 100+ days of skiing a year.
Continue readingCase Study: The Pilot (Claire)
Through a 90 day coaching program, Claire set specific goals to reduce his drinking – and ultimately, she actually chose to become sober. By taking action, Claire was able to get her drinking under control and avoid any damage to his career at the airline and avoid a reportable health condition to the FAA.
Continue readingCase Study: The Finance Guy (Francis)
When we first spoke with Francis, he couldn’t see his addiction – partly, I thought, because of the way his wealth insulated him. He thought he was getting away with his drug use, that though there were problems his money could usually get him out of any situation.
Continue readingWith Addiction, Short Term Success Doesn’t Guarantee Long Term Recovery
Recovery takes time. A successful plan often involves attending treatment, months of therapy, and a lifetime commitment to change.
Continue readingAfter the Intervention, the Expected Will Happen
Nevertheless, we have to prepare for the days following an intervention. Most of the time, the same thing happens: the person we intervened on will paint me as the enemy.
Continue readingPlan B: Interventions that Don’t End in Treatment
Often, Plan B will only last a few days. Usually after a few more episodes of using, the loved one will reach out and ask for help. A Plan B intervention can also lead to change – it just might take a bit more time.
Continue readingThe Deep Valley Between Use and Recovery
Addiction drives people into their basements; they may spend a lot of time down there. When they do come upstairs and look around, they observe what has changed: while their yard is still a mess, their neighbors have cleaned up and moved on with their lives.
Continue readingPreparing for Facility Placement
Guided discussions for considering treatment center placement.
Continue readingHow A Dog Named True Became My Higher Power
Considering a higher power prevents many people from joining 12 Step programs, I got over this hurdle by making my dog my higher power.
Continue readingChoosing A Treatment Center: 10 Questions to Ask
It’s so crucial for the recovery process for the individual to find the right treatment center. There can be a vast difference in quality—and price: thirty days of treatment can range from $7,500 to $120,000—and finding the right facility takes research. When you’re doing research on a facility, be sure to ask these questions.
Continue readingWhat to Expect When Your Family Member Checks Into Treatment
The road to get someone into treatment is always difficult. Usually, the family has put an enormous amount of energy into just getting their loved one to the front door of the facility. But what comes after someone checks in?
Continue readingThree Days Before Treatment
In the days following the intervention, the family should expect that the individual will drink or use even more than they were before—sort of a “last hurrah.” This can be very difficult to watch.
Continue readingConsidering Treatment: Common Last Minute Questions
A few common roadblocks come up with almost everyone heading to or considering treatment – always asked after the decision has been made to go to treatment and always used as road blocks to not go to treatment.
Continue readingTreatment Trauma: The Intervention Gone Wrong
An intervention done properly is actually a very loving meeting. A good intervention is about enabling the suffering person to understand their situation – the goal being to get them to acknowledge that they need help and begin to ask for it.
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