The Freedom Model Blog. Talking Addiction Solutions

Medication Assisted Therapy (MAT) Hasn’t Resulted in Less Overdoses

Mar 20, 2019 | Abstinence and Moderation, Addictions, Medical Assisted Treatment

Suboxone has been widely adopted, yet overdose deaths have still increased Overview: Simply put, there are now far more people on the Medication Assisted Treatments methadone and buprenorphine (brand name Suboxone) than ever before, and more...

Can “Addicts” and “Alcoholics” Solve Their Addiction at Home?

Mar 20, 2019 | Family Solutions

Over the past 84 years (since the founding of the first 12 step cult, Alcoholics Anonymous), people who struggle with addictions have been told they must attend a rehab, or at the very least they must attend daily support meetings to get past their struggles with...

Costly Habits Are Chosen Habits Still

Mar 18, 2019 | 12 Step Programs, Addiction Help, Addiction Philosophy, Addiction Prevention, Addiction Solutions, Addictions

The Positive Drive Principle (PDP): the principle that humans will always act to move in the direction where they perceive the greatest happiness. -The Freedom Model for Addictions, pg 142Upon hearing it for the first time, many people fundamentally understand the...

12 Step Indoctrination Creates Addicts

Mar 13, 2019 | 12 Step Programs, Addiction Help, Addiction Philosophy, Addiction Prevention, Addiction Solutions, Addictions

"Remember that we deal with alcohol - cunning, baffling, powerful! Without help it is too much for us." (p.58-59, Alcoholics Anonymous) From the age of 10 years old I was told of the mysterious powers of alcohol. I was told that if I ever touched so much as a drop of...

One Man’s Tale of Escaping the 12 Step Recovery Trap

Mar 11, 2019 | 12 Step Programs, Addiction Philosophy, Addiction Prevention, Addiction Recovery, Addiction Solutions, Addiction Treatment, Addictions, Drug Addiction, Non 12 Step Programs

I was a child who grew up in an AA household from as far back as I can remember. It was the seventies and early eighties, and many of my siblings and my mother were active members in various 12 step groups at the time. I, too, eventually joined the ranks with my older...

Why Recovery Is No Different Than An Addiction

Mar 8, 2019 | Addiction Help, Addiction Philosophy, Addiction Prevention, Addiction Recovery, Addiction Solutions, Addiction Treatment, Non 12 Step Programs

The Freedom Model for Addictions has the tagline, Escape the Treatment and Recovery Trap. It’s widely known after more than seventy years of failure, that the treatment industry is rife with scams and has abysmal success in helping people overcome addictions. Teaching...

Do Drug Addicts Have A Choice?

Mar 4, 2019 | Addiction Philosophy, Addiction Prevention, Addiction Recovery, Addiction Solutions, Addiction Treatment, Drug Addiction, Non 12 Step Programs

Can people diagnosed with the various addictions (or Substance Use Disorders, in modern parlance) choose to change their condition? At Baldwin Research Institute, we’ve been saying they can choose to change for 30 years now. But the addiction treatment and recovery...

Calling Addiction a Disease Does Not Reduce Stigma

Feb 26, 2019 | Addiction Help, Addiction Philosophy, Addiction Prevention, Addiction Recovery, Addiction Solutions, Non 12 Step Programs

There is a lot of talk about stigma with respect to addiction. Those who promote that addiction is a disease claim that calling it a disease reduces the stigma. Their theory is that reducing the stigma will lead to more people seeking help, but does calling it a...

Addiction is NOT a Family Disease!

Feb 20, 2019 | Addiction Help, Addiction Philosophy, Addiction Prevention, Addiction Recovery, Addiction Treatment, Addictions, Alcohol Addiction, Family and Addiction, Non 12 Step Programs

Substance use problems (addiction) have been thought of as a family issue for years. Is addiction a family disease?

You Choose Your Addictions and You Can Choose Freedom

Feb 18, 2019 | 12 Step Program, Addiction Philosophy, Addiction Prevention, Addiction Recovery, Addictions, Non 12 Step Programs

“Try to do something without thinking about doing it first.” That was the first lesson given to me by my soon-to be mentor when I was 19 years old. At the time I was a seriously lonely, depressed and misguided young man in search of answers to why I was so unhappy. I...

Ready To Get Off Suboxone? Read This!

Feb 15, 2019 | Addiction Recovery, Addiction Solutions, Addiction Treatment, Addictions, Non 12 Step Programs, Relapse Prevention, Research

Understanding The MAT Trap Here is an email I recently received that sums up the confusion and disillusion felt by so many people who've been led to believe that medications will solve their opioid use problems: "I want off suboxone. Now. It's horrible. I tried once...

Parents – Don’t be Afraid of Moderation

Feb 14, 2019 | Abstinence and Moderation, Addiction Solutions, Addiction Treatment, Addictions, Family and Addiction, Non 12 Step Programs

Let’s be straight here, when it comes to addiction, the idea of being able to moderate substance use downright scares people, especially those in treatment circles and families who have been exposed to the treatment industry. As a culture, we’ve taken on the idea that...

Residential Retreat vs. Inpatient Treatment: What’s the difference?

Jan 30, 2019 | 12 Step Program, Addiction Help, Addiction Solutions, Addiction Treatment, Drug Treatment, Non 12 Step Programs

The first residential retreat for those with drug and alcohol problems was founded 30 years ago in Hagaman, NY. I know about it because I founded it. That was the beginning of The Freedom Model Retreats. For years people tried to pigeonhole our new model – the first...

How Do Expectations Shape Our Outlook On Addiction?

Jan 28, 2019 | Addiction Recovery, Addiction Solutions, Addiction Treatment, Drug Addiction, Research

Drug and Alcohol Addicts, Drug and Alcohol Treatment, Drug and Alcohol Halfway Houses, Drug and Alcohol Sober Living Houses, Alcoholics Anonymous; what do these five items have in common? They all set the users’ expectation to be eternally powerless. Erickson's Law of...

Can You Prevent Addiction?

Jan 24, 2019 | Addiction Help, Addiction Philosophy, Addiction Prevention, Addiction Solutions, Non 12 Step Programs

Can you prevent addiction? This question can mean two different things: Can an individual prevent themselves from going down a path to addiction? Can a parent or sibling prevent a loved one or a friend from becoming addicted? The answer to the first situation is yes –...

Nobody Needs Treatment

Jan 21, 2019 | Addiction Philosophy, Addiction Treatment, Addictions, Non 12 Step Programs, Research

One of the most exciting facts about addiction and our ability to move past it goes unreported – more than 90% of those with a drug or alcohol problem will get over their problem when you factor in age. In other words, as we grow older, it is normal to let go of heavy...

7 Compelling Reasons Not to Send Your Adolescent to Drug Rehab

Jan 17, 2019 | Addiction Help, Addiction Prevention, Addiction Solutions, Addictions, Family and Addiction

Your son got caught at school with pot. Your daughter came home last weekend completely wasted. You just learned your son has been using his friend's Adderall. Your daughter stole your pain medications from your medicine cabinet. Learning that your adolescent is...

What is the Most Addictive Drug?

Jan 9, 2019 | Addiction Solutions, Addiction Treatment, Addictions, Alcohol Addiction, Drug Addiction

Let me hit this head on – no drug is addictive, not even the poster child for this myth – heroin. That is not to say that people do not feel addicted to drugs. That is not to say that people do not get physical withdrawal when they stop using certain substances such...

Is Relapse a Part of Recovery?

Jan 7, 2019 | Addiction Help, Addiction Recovery, Addiction Solutions, Addiction Treatment, Addictions, Non 12 Step Programs

Is relapse a part of recovery? The answer to this question is – absolutely, relapse is a part of recovery, and also - absolutely relapse is not a part of recovery. How can it be both you ask? The term relapse implies a disease exists in regards to addiction, when in...

What is Perpetual Recovery?

Jan 2, 2019 | Addiction Recovery, Addiction Treatment, Addictions, Drug Addiction

We’ve written about perpetual recovery throughout the years in various different ways and it always seems resonates with people once they understand what is meant by this term. The differences between The Freedom Model vs. The Treatment Model are clear in so many...

Support Systems for Addictions: Are They Good or Bad?

Dec 31, 2018 | Addiction Philosophy, Addiction Recovery, Addiction Solutions, Addictions, Support Meetings

There is a common idea that has been promoted over the past 70 years that people who struggle with addiction will do better if they have a support system of some kind. It might be a family that supports sobriety, a work environment that supports abstinence, or...

Addiction: The Catch All Term

Dec 28, 2018 | Addiction Help, Addiction Recovery, Addictions, Alcoholism, Drug Addiction

The term addiction has developed into a term that has no meaning; not because it’s inherently meaningless, but rather, because it has so many definitions therefore making it meaningless. Words matter. And in the realm of substance use, they really matter because lives...

Why Labeling Addicts and Alcoholics is Harmful

Dec 26, 2018 | Addiction Recovery, Addictions, Alcohol Treatment, Drug Addiction, Substance Abuse

I’m sure you’ve probably heard the phrase, “I’m so and so, and I’m an Alcoholic” or “ I’m so and so and I’m an Addict” This idea of referring to one’s self as an alcoholic or addict is the standard in the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and a...

Are Drug Addicts and Alcoholics Truly Powerless?

Dec 7, 2018 | Addictions, Alcohol Treatment, Alcoholics Anonymous, Alcoholism, Non 12 Step Programs

Do you believe that it is helpful to tell another person that they are powerless to solve their problem? Consider that oncologists typically don’t tell their cancer patients that they are powerless over their cancer. Cardiologists do not tell their patients that...

A Guide for Personal Change

Nov 27, 2018 | Addiction Philosophy, Addiction Recovery, Addiction Solutions, Addiction Treatment, Addictions, Alcoholism, Drug Addiction

Treatment for addiction (excluding medical detox) is completely unnecessary. That is a bold statement, but it’s true. Drinking and drug taking have remained a stable aspect of the human condition for thousands of years, as have stopping and moderating substance use....

Keeping the Holidays Happy with a Heavy Substance User in the Family

Nov 23, 2018 | Addictions, Drug Addiction, Family and Addiction, Holidays, Substance Abuse

The holidays are here again and you realize that for your family not much has changed over the past few years. Last year you had a get together a couple weeks before Christmas, and you were so happy because all four of your children were home for the first time in...

Who Should Get Credit When You Stop Drinking or Using Drugs?

Nov 20, 2018 | 12 Step Programs, Addiction Recovery, Addiction Treatment, Alcohol Addiction, Alcohol Rehab, Alcoholics Anonymous, Substance Abuse, Support Meetings

When criticizing 12 Step groups and treatment based on it, people will often tell me that they know it works because someone they know got sober in AA. I don't doubt their experience as I, too, know people who still attend meetings and have maintained decades of...

A Parent’s Guide to Loving a Drug Addicted Child

Nov 15, 2018 | Addiction Help, Addictions, Alcohol Treatment, Family and Addiction, Help A Loved One

In 2014, just as the air was getting cooler and the world was painted white, a dear friend lost her nephew to a drug overdose. It was a tragedy for the family and their small community, but what happened in its wake was truly unspeakable. Friends were around for the...

The Incredibly High Cost of Alcoholics Anonymous

Nov 14, 2018 | 12 Step Programs, Addiction Treatment, Addictions, Alcohol Addiction, Alcohol Treatment, Alcoholics Anonymous

When you feel as if you have a drinking or drug problem, most people will tell you to go to a meeting. They say AA is free and it works. When you go to your first AA meeting, it is likely you've already heard a lot about it. Friends, family, doctors and mental health...

Addiction Counselors, Are they at Higher Risk of becoming Addicted Again?

Nov 1, 2018 | Addiction Recovery

Important Note to the reader: The counselors we are discussing here in this article are those who were once “addicts” themselves and are now “in recovery” through conventional disease-based treatment. We are not discussing a counselor who never had a substance use...

The Scary World of Addiction Treatment

Oct 31, 2018 | Addiction Treatment

Ghosts and ghouls, witches and jack o' lanterns, and all sorts of scary creatures abound; it's Halloween! These creatures can't hurt you because they only exist in myth and legend, and in our imaginations. But there are myths and legends that have created monsters...

Are Meetings Necessary After You Go To Rehab?

Oct 29, 2018 | 12 Step Program, 12 Step Programs, Support Meetings

The answer to whether someone needs support meetings such as AA or NA after rehab is not as easy as saying yes or no. It all comes down to what you are taught in rehab and how much of it you believe to be true. The need for support meetings arises out of the idea that...

Alternative Options When CDPHP Does Not Cover Addiction Services

Oct 26, 2018 | Insurance

I have CDPHP health insurance. It’s relatively good health insurance. I’m healthy and do not require to use it all that much so it works for me. However, when it comes to addiction services, I’ve listened to many people complain that their CDPHP insurance does not...

Abstinence from Alcohol or a Life of Addiction! Are These my only Two Options?

Sep 20, 2018 | Abstinence and Moderation, Addiction Help

Anyone who has any knowledge of rehab for an addiction knows that abstinence is the common “solution” to addiction in America today. Addiction in this disease-centered perspective is seen as a lifelong condition, and therefore no amount of drugs or alcohol are...

5 days into my rehab and I was told my insurance would not pay anymore – I was left with a hefty bill

Sep 19, 2018 | Addiction Treatment, Insurance

With the passing of the Affordable Care Act (more commonly known as Obamacare) in 2010, all insurance providers were mandated to provide coverage for treatment for addiction. Many people took this to mean that insurance would have to pay for all inpatient treatment...

Alcohol Use in the Elderly as a Result of Loneliness

Sep 17, 2018 | Alcoholism, Elderly Addiction

Over the past 30 years I have personally witnessed as hundreds of people over the age of 70 have enrolled in The Freedom Model System at our residential retreats. For many of them, alcohol was their drug of choice, and most explained that loneliness became their...

Harm Reduction and MAT – A Marriage on the Road to Nowhere

Sep 12, 2018 | Addictions, Harm Reduction, Medical Assisted Treatment

Harm reduction at face value seems to make sense. After all, common sense tells us that better is better. Providing a path for heavy substance users that “reduces harm” is logical on its face. Needle exchanges to avoid disease, Narcan to keep addicts alive, and...

Drugs don’t cause addiction or drug deaths—recovery does

Aug 22, 2018 | Addiction Treatment

We Need a New Way of Thinking About Addiction Drugs don’t cause addiction or drug deaths—recovery does Article by: Stanton Peele, Ph.D - Author of The Life Process Program Since the turn of the 21st Century, when the National Institute on Drug Abuse promulgated what...

30 Day Rehab Near Me? Be Cautious

Aug 20, 2018 | Rehab

In this age of social media and instant searches for anything and everything, there are benefits to the “instant search” features of the internet we have all become accustomed to. However, there is a dark side to every coin – and in this case, there is as much fraud...

A Parent’s Nightmare – Heroin

Aug 17, 2018 | Heroin Addiction

There are few things more terrifying to a parent than finding out that your son or daughter is using heroin. But if you’re going to get through this devastating development, you need to find a way out of the panic. Your fear is valid, but in the long run, it won’t...

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