Happy Mothers’ Day?

Awhile ago I was sitting in the doctor’s office, leafing through a months old Time magazine when I stumbled upon an article entitled “Mother’s Liquid Helper. Raising children? Raise a glass!” which you can read in full by clicking on the title.

Essentially, the article, by staff writer Joel Stein, recounts the current trend by wine makers to entice moms with the idea that it’s great to off-set the grind of parenting with a steady stream of chardonnay or pinot grigio.

Must be true if Facebook’s Moms Who Need Wine has over 640,000 subscribers and vintners are marketing brands like “Mommy’s Time Out” and “MommyJuice” and ads run everywhere from the Food Network Magazine to Rachel Ray’s website.

As one executive editor of a wine magazine noted, confirming what we’ve heard from many a wine seller – and client, “you can’t have a problem if you’re drinking good wine” – usually defined as over $20 a bottle and especially at $200 a bottle. Hmmmmmm….

Of course this is all just a replay of the Beatles’ “Mommy’s Little Helper,” the same Valium Jacqueline Suzanne extolled in “Valley of the Dolls.”

Is anyone surprised that we see a steady stream of women in their late 30s through their early 50s whose wine consumption has gotten out of hand?

No, you weren’t and aren’t stupid or diseased or immoral or weak. You just drifted into alcohol abuse because it worked – just like the ads and vintners and sales people promised.

Except now it isn’t working.

Don’t you think it might be time to invest just a bit of time, effort and money in extracting yourself from the problems that listening to the purveyors of “good wines” lured you into?

That’s what we do – and your secret will be safe with us.

Also See Our Articles On:

Smart Women and Alcohol Abuse
Menopause and Alcohol Abuse


Confidentiality

75 years ago Bill W. actually did have one good idea – anonymity. The trouble is, AA participation hasn’t been “anonymous” for over 50 years. Quite the contrary.

If the problem was limited to AA then it would be easy to solve – avoid AA, which anyone with any intelligence and maturity is going to do anyway.

But it isn’t and the confidentiality problem infects every treatment program you can find, inpatient or outpatient, and it’s one of the real reasons why smart capable people justifiably avoid getting help.

Knowing that this is a very real concern, we designed our work with you to avoid all of the components that “out” you regardless of the level of your alcohol abuse.

How?

First, you only need to spend 5 days with us here in southern California. Not 30, 60, or 90 days. Those “absences” alone are enough to rat you out. Seeing us just means “going on vacation.”

Second, we do no groups and have no hourly staff. You will never see another client and there are only the two of us and our consulting physician Dr. Norcross to work with and we’re all bound by HIPPA regulations even if we wanted to talk, which we most assuredly do not.

Third, you keep your own case notes and records so there is nothing to be subpoenaed even if someone suspects you were here and manages to get a court order

Fourth, we have very poor memories and promise not to remember you if anyone asks.

Fifth, we do not accept insurance, so there are no insurance records to betray you (no, insurance records are not confidential). We frequently have clients from the medical insurance industry who are the most insistent on paying by cash or check.

Sixth, we never ever refer you to a group like AA that is not only counter-productive but a serious source of gossip.

Seventh, such minimal records as we do keep are destroyed upon your discharge unless there are reasons you want us to maintain them – like defending yourself in a divorce or other legal proceeding against charges of being an “alcoholic.”

Eighth… but we think you get the point. There are additional safeguards we’d be happy to discuss with you along with any other considerations you’d like addressed.

As always, it’s your call. Literally.