The Downside of Being Smart, Creative, Sensitive & Articulate You, like our clients, are smart, successful, creative, sensitive, and a lot of other generally desirable things. Trouble is, as with many good things, too much can be a problem. A very real dilemma is that you find yourself stuck with either being productive or self-destructive. [...]
About 6 months ago a client sat across the table from Mary Ellen and me and said, suspiciously, “You don’t do 12 Steps, you do 3 Steps! Get a grip. Get a life. Get outta here.” She was pretty much right. What do we mean by “get a grip?” Mostly you need to grasp the [...]
Lap Band Surgery As I was driving to the office this morning I noticed that in one ten mile stretch of freeway there were 6 billboards advertising Lap Band Surgery for weight loss. Really. We find this more than a little troubling. First, because the hospitals advertising this “easy” weight loss solution neglect to mention [...]
Stages of Change: If you want to change or break a habit you also have to change the context which encourages and supports the habit. It’s never enough to stop drinking, or stop smoking, or lose weight, or do any of the other things we never seem to get around to. We all know how [...]
Every week, we get calls from prospective clients looking for more information about our programs. The callers tend to fall into one of two categories. The first group are the ones who ask for information and then proceed to rebut everything we tell them – the “Yes, buts”: “Oh, that wouldn’t work for me.” ” [...]
Understandably, our clients are feeling a lot of stress and anxiety when they come to us. Time and time again we hear the same relieved voices: “You aren’t going to yell at me? Or tell me how stupid I’ve been? Or…” We know that that’s how most programs work – or, more accurately, don’t work. [...]
Occasionally we come across articles we like to share. Such is the case this week and we are pleased that our friend Dr. Neill Neill of Vancouver Island, British Columbia has granted us permission to pass along his excellent perspective on the importance of self-labeling. Thrivers, Survivors and People in Recovery Dr Neill Neill We [...]
Here are our answers to two common questions: “Will it work?” Or the question that comes later from others: “Did it work?” It seems many people think there is a magic cure for the mis-use of alcohol, a “treatment” that fixes the problem. We wish that was the case. But it’s not. Leaving alcohol abuse [...]
Callers often ask why we use a 5-Day format. We know the answer isn’t obvious so here’s a short version. It takes about that long to figure out why you’re abusing alcohol; consider better alternatives; reorganize your day-to-day life where needed; and to establish the working relationships we need to continue through the 12 weeks [...]
Last week we received a letter we especially wanted to share with you. Our friend in Australia has granted us permission to reprint excerpts and we hope you appreciate his words and perspectives as much as we do. Dear Ed and Mary Ellen, With the help of your ideas and practices and similar ones that [...]