Introduction To Services

Practical Recovery was established by Dr. Horvath in 1985.  We use the "practical recovery" model (vs. a disease or 12-step model). We think of addiction as a practical problem.  Attending treatment is a practical issue also.  We will make it as convenient and cost effective as possible for you to attend here.  We will help you find a convenient and realistic method to make needed changes.  We do not make you fit a program. We construct a program to fit you.

 

Our program appears to be unique in the US. We believe there is no better program anywhere. We are committed to blending evidence-based practice, leading edge treatments, and holistic healing.  We are highly flexible and work collaboratively with your goals, values, and sense of meaning in life. We don't try to "break" you. We often focus on helping you get an even better awareness of what you like, and like to do. Such awareness is often the key to overcoming addictive behavior.

 

Our mature adult clients typically come from the "hidden population" of high functioning individuals who nevertheless have significant addiction problems. Although sometimes our clients are pushed here by others, most often they choose to attend because on their own they have chosen to improve their lives.  Our clients are otherwise successful individuals from all walks and arenas of life, who need help in this particular area. Our clients are also diverse, coming from a variety of races, national origins, religions, ethnic identifications, sexual orientations, physical abilities, sizes, and ages (including the retired, young adults, and selected adolescents).

 

Our young adult clients benefit from our focus on basic life skills. We collaborate to work on these skills in a manner and at a pace that the young adult can accept.

We feel deeply honored to have the privilege of working with our clients, and we develop substantial affection for them. Although our work is how we make a living, we are also committed to it as a deeply meaningful part of our own lives. We have developed great respect for the courage our clients have shown, as they grapple with the causes of their addictions (which arise from their history, their situation, and their physiology) and make the changes they need to make. We cannot think of more satisfying work!

No program is for everyone. In this website we attempt to give you a good idea of what to expect at Practical Recovery, so that you can make informed decisions about our program. Unlike many other programs, we consider you still capable of interpreting information and making good decisions!  And you will need these capabilities now, because what we offer is so different from traditional US treatment that it may be hard to grasp at first. So set aside ideas about addiction as a disease, being an alcoholic or addict, lifelong recovery, lifelong support groups, and powerlessness, and consider an alternative!

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By the time most clients contact us they are so indoctrinated into the traditional way of thinking about addiction treatment they may not appreciate the reasonableness of the alternative we offer. By comparison, imagine the following scenario. You call a plastic surgery group to inquire about cosmetic surgery. You are told: we have a 28 day residential surgery program for those with severe problems, and a 6 week outpatient surgery program for those with moderate impairment. The programs are similar: first we do noses, then facelifts, breasts for women or hair for men, and liposuction. If you object that you don't need all these surgeries, you are told that you are mistaken. Everybody who calls needs them, or you wouldn't be calling! And we don't deal with any other problems (like heart problems or digestive problems) until your cosmetic problems are taken care of first.

Potential clients call us to ask, what is our program? Notice that potential clients with behavioral problems or health problems (e.g., depression or heart disease), would not normally ask this question of a non-addiction facility. You would assume that treatment would be individualized, after completion of an evaluation. It is only (the typical) addiction facility that has a "program" that was established even before you arrived!

Our treatment plan for you will evolve as we get to know you. We do aim to teach all clients how to stop their addictive behavior, based on three core ideas (craving is time-limited, cravings do not force you to use, cravings in themselves are not harmful).  How these core ideas are applied in your life is as unique as you are. How much time you need to learn your version of these techniques, and the best format for you to learn them, also varies widely. Furthermore, if related issues (other emotional and behavioral problems, relationships, lifestyle balance, meaning in life, ongoing motivation) are not adequately addressed, treatment is not going to be very helpful. Usually these related issues take up most of our time together, and these issues are also as unique as you are.

Together we specify in the first few sessions what we aim for you to achieve with us. We do this by mutually agreeing on what solutions are needed in your life.  We then consider how to develop these solutions. Although we begin with this plan, the focuses of our work almost always evolve as we make progress in some areas, and perhaps run into unexpected difficulties in others. Quite often information you knew but didn’t realize was important emerges over time (such as past difficulties which still affect you but which you tend to keep out of mind).  Sometimes improvement in one area even leads to greater problems in another (e.g., less substance use may lead to more anxiety).

If we are not meeting your needs we can make immediate corrections. If you really don't like what is happening you are free to leave at any time. There are as many roads to recovery as there are individuals. We won't truly know your road until you have traveled it! Overcoming addictive behavior is not about establishing a master plan and following it, or following a plan that everybody else in the treatment program is also following. Overcoming addictive behavior is more like a voyage of discovery. The destination may be clear, but the journey will likely have surprises. What we do know is that whatever problems you have at the beginning or over the course of treatment, Practical Recovery has the collective experience to help you resolve them, or to find the additional help you need to do so.

There are also a number of practical considerations that can have an enormous influence on how we might work together, in particular on how frequently sessions occur, and whether you attend groups. We attempt to be utterly realistic in our approach, so we pay great attention to basic issues of time, money, participating in group vs. maintaining complete privacy, family concerns, employer concerns, etc. Tell us what your concerns truly are, and collaboratively we will work to deal with them.  Practical Recovery is the leader in collaborative addiction care!

 

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