Who are the women who come to us from across the country? And why to they come here – not just from the U.S., but also from Canada and sometimes from around the world? These women include physicians, college professors, artists, actresses, lawyers, politicians, business owners, flight crew, managers, teachers, executives, writers, housewives and yes, [...]

Many Midlife Changes Contribute to Alcohol Abuse For some women the onset of alcohol abuse coincides with the changes in hormone levels that signal the start of perimenopause – changes that we may be unaware of in the earliest stages. When this is combined with other stresses in our lives – job changes, health concerns, [...]

We are very grateful to our client for so kindly offering to keep a diary of her experience participating in our 5-day Women’s Outpatient Alcoholism Treatment program and also for allowing us to share her experiences with you. – Mary Ellen and Ed The night before I was supposed to meet Mary Ellen and Ed, [...]

By Dr. Mary Ellen Barnes “Powerlessness” Teaches You to Be A Victim You’ve probably heard about “powerlessness.” It’s a founding principal of AA, the “First Step” of 12-Steps, and virtually every treatment regimen in the U.S. Believing it is also the biggest predictor of relapse and one reason newcomers to AA have a binge rate [...]

By Dr. Mary Ellen Barnes You May Never Get Him Back “I thought when he quit drinking…,” or “The program he went through says he’s successful, but…?” and “Is this all I have to look forward to?” The words vary but the underlying question is pretty much the same, “He was a drunk, now he’s [...]