Alcohol Treatment – Will Your Program Work?

People are always calling us and saying, “I’ve been to rehab and it didn’t work. Will your program work?”

You can actually answer that question yourself by answering a fundamental question: What type of person are you?

Basically we hear from three types of potential clients, each of whom approaches treatment in one of the following ways:

  • “I only sorta want help and I want you to do all of the work involved. So I’ll say I want help, but don’t expect me to do much of anything.”
  • “I don’t really want help – I just want you to get my spouse/kids/employer/judge/doctor off my case. Therefore I’m going to sabotage whatever you try to do while I continue to insist that I really do want help. Good luck with that.”
  • “I really do want help, so what is it you need from me so I can work with you to get me moving forward and to leave alcohol abuse behind?”

We don’t think there is any mystery as to who is most apt to make progress – and who we’re going to accept as a client.

Remember, one obvious clue is in the question itself, “…Their program didn’t work, will yours?”

We’re sorry, but we don’t have a magic wand or bullet and neither does anyone else – even though about 98% of the “other” programs claim otherwise – at least until your check clears.

“Success” turns out to be the result of how motivated you are, how much attention and effort you invest, and how good we are at working with you to make that investment pay off.

But “success” still depends on you – it’s why we focus on empowering you, not rendering you powerless.

“Why go to treatment at all?” you ask. If you are in either of the first two categories, don’t. There isn’t any point in going to treatment and it’ll just be a waste of time and money, even if you do manage to placate someone else for awhile.

But if you do want to improve your life, the right treatment program will save you a lot of wasted time and effort while introducing you to options you probably didn’t realize you had.

Good treatment is also about giving you permission to live your life, not someone else’s – not your “sponsor’s”, not Bill W.s’ and not some True Believe’s who doen’t have one of their own either.

“Will our program work?” It will if you want it too, and if you are willing to participate in your own recovery. If you aren’t, no program, no matter how much you pay, or how much they pamper you, will change anything for more than the duration of your stay. No one can root alcohol abuse out of your life for you any more than the best personal trainer can lose weight for you.

But if you are serious about overcoming your alcohol problems, give us a call. Listen, learn, question, and take charge of the changes you are making. Your life really can become your own personal research and renovation project, and the end product can be even more rewarding than any television “reality” transformation.

Successful Clients? – It isn’t always easy to predict, but there are some common factors:

  1. Success comes to those who are prepared, and has nothing to do with luck or genetics or family background. Drama, chaos, confusion, or impulsivity are not your friends but purpose, balance, enthusiasm, focus and energy are.
  2. Success comes to those who are committed to their goals. It’s not about starting over or giving up when things get hard. Success is about defining what you want, knowing where you’re going, and pursuing your goals with creative, persistent determination.
  3. Success comes to those who know why they want it. They stay the course because it’s important. They are motivated by their own personal wants and needs.
  4. Success requires effective strategies, solid plans, talented  help, and real support. Success is not random!