Last week we wrote about “Comparison Shopping” when it comes time to look for help in overcoming alcohol abuse. This week we want to focus on just how badly do you want to end your reliance on alcohol.
Many of us dream, wish, hope or fantasize about ending our alcohol abuse, but we also hope it won’t require too much of us. We’d like to change, but prefer not to make the effort or master the skills to accomplish it.
Even when disaster is facing us in the form of divorce, illness, and/or indictment, we still hesitate.
Most of us would prefer the illusion of doing something rather than actually changing, even when the need to change is clear – hence the popularity of residential and luxury rehab.
Think about that! We all have dreams or wishes and that’s fine! But dreams, hopes, and fantasies usually just give us the illusion that we are doing something about our drinking without requiring that we risk or change very much.
Really, most people’s most important goal is keeping what’s familiar and comfortable – even if it’s the “security of familiar miseries”. Yes, we’d rather be predictably miserable than take a chance on the unknown benefits of leaving our alcohol saturated lives behind.
That’s human nature. But it’s also what prevents us from getting help early. We kid ourselves with the lie that it isn’t a problem, especially not compared to our friends, who have real drinking problems!
But successfully leaving alcohol abuse behind means leaving our current situation behind. It often requires some risk. It certainly requires some change in skills, behavior, attitudes, and how we use our time.
Otherwise, doing what you’ve always done will continue to get you what you’ve always gotten, and, in the case of alcohol abuse, a continued downward spiral of depression, ill health, and isolation.
The alternative?
It all begins with learning what you want and how badly you want it. It’s vital to be clear about what you’ll do or change, learn or risk in achieving your goals. And while success has “costs” these can be minimized and success reinforced with the right help.
Wishing, hoping, dreaming and “talking a good game” (also known as “working my program”) won’t get it done.
But when you badly want to save (or create) your own life, free of alcohol abuse, we’re here to help you find the way.
“If you’re so good, how come you’re so cheap?”
Now that was an unexpected question! Really, while we do think we’re good at what we do, we don’t think $8,750 (plus airfare and hotel in many cases) is cheap.
Still, when we asked, the caller had a point: Passages, $200,000 for their 90 days as compared to ours; Betty Ford, $40,000; Cirque Lodge, $65,000; and so on. All with client success rates far below ours.
But that’s still a bit of apples and oranges since we are individual, intensive outpatient, confidential, professional, and research based and they are are not.
Also, we don’t have 24/7 staffing; an army of scut workers, or a zillion hours of “time fillers” to dream up. And that’s expensive.
With us, you aren’t paying for fluff, fillers, and make-work. It’s all “real” and it’s all about you. It’s the rate we can charge and make a decent living while providing excellent service to motivated clients without breaking the bank.
That’s our model – real relief from alcohol abuse for people who want to get what they are paying for and deserve.
Perhaps the question should be “Why are they so bad when they’re so expensive?” We’ve been wondering that for over twenty years and if you know the answer, please let us know and we’ll be the first to publish it.
Until then, we offer real help for real people for real relief.
Odds and Ends:
For more details on the above topics, please click on the following topic links:
Please visit this section of our April 4 Newsletter for a detailed description of our 5 Day Full Recovery Retreat program.
Also see The Real “Steps” to Overcoming Alcohol Abuse – what actually works for you and any other competent person.
Ten Things I Wish I’d Known Before I Sent My Brother Off To Rehab is Mary Ellen’s popular article on what she learned about “them” ten years ago that helped lead to what we do now.
Women and Alcohol – What To Consider In Treatment and why women need and deserve services built around women’s needs, not just another recycled (and failed) men’s program – which is all anyone else has to offer
Please, if you’re a new subscriber, or if you’re wondering about something you read in a previous Newsletter, most of the newsletters are archived on the website under the tab labeled – you guessed it – “Newsletters”!
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