What Practical Recovery Does, and Why
Tom Horvath, PhD, ABPP In preparation for celebrating our 40th anniversary next month, we are updating pages on our website. Today we focus on: https://www.practicalrecovery.com/about-us/ If you have scanned other websites, you may find language identical or similar to ours about what the facility provides. However, having these words on their website does not mean […]
Differences between AA and SMART Recovery
By Tom Horvath, PhD On October 22, 2024, in Lisbon, Portugal, SMART Recovery held its first international conference, in conjunction with the Lisbon Addictions 2024 conference. Lisbon Addictions drew over 2,000 attendees. SMART’s event only had about 50, but they attended from Indonesia, Australia, Hong Kong, Africa, the US, and throughout Europe. SMART was also […]
Looking for some inspiration?
By Tom Horvath, PhD I was recently contacted by a website putting together a list of 50 very brief accounts, including before and after pictures, about individuals resolving addictive problems. I was pleased that they included a few quotes from me, about the process of change. https://www.boredpanda.com/best-all-times-before-after-addicts-transformation/ Perhaps the most important fact to know about […]
Radical Acceptance in Addiction, Recovery, and Parenting
Amanda Eversmann of Life Process Program, on Radical Acceptance in Addiction, Recovery, and Parenting I entered on a ten-year addiction because my mother didn’t radically accept me and I accordingly didn’t accept myself. I had to first learn to accept myself, and also my children. Then I radically accepted my mom. 1. My Upbringing I […]
Defining Recovery, pt 2
By Tom Horvath, PhD For many individuals, particularly those in 12-step groups, recovery means abstinence (and maybe not much else). I am “in recovery” if I am abstaining. However, there are also other important aspects of the process of change. Several national organizations have devoted substantial effort to defining recovery more broadly. The following definitions […]
The Differences Between Moderate Drinking Programs and Harm Reduction Programs, pt 2
The Differences Between Moderate Drinking Programs and Harm Reduction Programs Part 2: Harm Reduction Programs, and How and Why I Created HAMS By Kenneth Anderson, MA The Backstory I first attended an MM meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota in June of 1998; this was immediately after the great storm of May 30, 1998, which had knocked […]
The Differences Between Moderate Drinking Programs and Harm Reduction Programs, Pt. 1
The Differences Between Moderate Drinking Programs and Harm Reduction Programs Part 1: Moderation Drinking Programs and Moderation Management By Kenneth Anderson, MA Moderate drinking programs and harm reduction programs start from opposite assumptions and wind up in very different places. This doesn’t necessarily make one type of program better than the other–different people will find […]
SMART Recovery at 30
By Tom Horvath, PhD This weekend SMART Recovery is celebrating (a few months early) its 30th anniversary by holding a conference in Salt Lake City. What has SMART achieved? How well is it functioning? What might its future hold? What follows is my personal perspective on some highlights of SMART’s first 30 years (from someone […]
Does AA do More Harm than Good?
By A. Tom Horvath, PhD Is this question sacrilegious? It should not be. AA has done much good in the world, and I expect it will continue to do so, for those who freely choose to attend it. In this article I point out what harm AA can do and might continue to do. Any […]
How Alcohol Treatment Became Divorced from Alcohol Science: The Rise of the Minnesota Model
By Kenneth Anderson, MA Alcohol treatment wasn’t always divorced from alcohol science; the divorce between the two can be largely laid at the feet of Hazelden CEO Daniel John “Dan” Anderson, PhD (Mar 30, 1921 – Feb 19, 2003). Anderson’s attitude towards science was one of hubris and arrogance. The History of Alcohol Treatment in […]