AVOID A POTENTIAL DISASTER!

Before you commit to ANY alcohol rehab program, Ask yourself EIGHT CRITICAL QUESTIONS

You will receive a customized free report based on an analysis of your answers.
Then choose an alcohol rehab program with a more educated eye to your options.

Whether you consider yourself to be a problem drinker, a functioning alcoholic, an alcohol abuser, or just someone who drinks too much, it doesn't really matter for present purposes. These are just labels. The inescapable fact is that you know you are not performing at your peak when you drink.

You are looking to change, but getting the right kind of help is where it gets tricky. There is help...and then there is help.

Below are the questions you must ask yourself as you look into any kind of program. Use each question as a lens through which to look at each program's fit to your requirements. You need to evaluate whether it can provide the context for you to conquer your alcohol problem and to perform at your best in business and life.

Read each question and then choose the alternative answer that best aligns with your understanding, experience and needs. On completion, I will send you a customized, in-depth report based on an analysis of your answers. It won't cost you anything, and, at the very least, you will be in a much better position to ask the right questions of any treatment option you might consider.

EIGHT CRITICAL QUESTIONS
Let's Begin...

1. Time: What is your current knowledge of alcohol rehab programs that require little or no time away from your business or professional commitments?

I don't know of any, and the opportunity costs of being away are significant. I know I need to get help, but I haven't found a way around the time problem.

Realistically, my time is very tight. But from what I hear, the best programs would take me away from work for six to eight weeks, and my people wouldn't have access to me.

I have found a program that would require me to travel and be away for a 10 days. I probably could handle ten days, but I'm not sure if a program that short could work, given what the websites of the longer programs say.

Time away is no longer an issue for me, because I have found an intensive program where the in-person consultation is handled in a weekend and we schedule regular telephone sessions for ongoing coaching/mentoring.

2. Ongoing Commitment to You - I want to be fully confident my drinking problem is behind me, so I expect a commitment for ongoing work from my program of choice.

I am told what I want is impossible, I can never be fully confident my drinking is behind me, and I will be in recovery for the rest of my life.

Once I complete a 60-day rehab program, there is no further commitment. I'm on my own, except for AA.

I have found a 42-day rehab program where, upon completion, they encourage me to call in if I need help. They also encourage AA. If I still need help after a few months, I know they will be pushing me to come back for a "refresher" (at full tuition.)

I have found a program that commits to a year of professional mentoring/coaching, not only to deal with any remaining alcohol issues, but to mentor me in restoring the productivity I used to exhibit in my work.

3. Privacy - I hold a high-profile position of public trust, so confidentiality and the protection of my privacy in any program is critically important to me. I have at last found such a program.

I have not found any program so far that truly protects my privacy.

Some programs claim strong confidentiality policies for staff, but as with any group program, I can't see how they could stop another client from blabbing.

I found a program where they seem to understand the issue, but I would still feel vulnerable because of the number of people involved.

It is no longer an issue for me, because I have found a professional mentoring/coach with whom I work one on one. Given his long record of professional service in which handling confidential information was crucial, I trust him completely to go the extra mile in protecting my privacy. No one else is involved.

4. One-on-one Coaching - I have found an alcohol rehab program that provides one-on-one professional coaching/mentoring on an ongoing basis.

I haven't found one. The best I could hope for in a private alcohol rehab center is being able sometimes to talk to a counselor privately, not in a group meeting.

Some counselors are better than others and I wish I could have access to the best they have. Unfortunately, my access would end when the six-week program is over.

I have found a program with very experienced staff that would get to know me and understand my particular needs. They offer as much individual help as I need for as long as I'm there, but, unfortunately, do not extends the one-on-one work beyond my time in residence.

I'm excited to have found an experienced professional I can trust, someone who can respect who I am and what I have accomplished, someone who is able and willing to mentor and coach me for as long as it takes me to perform at my peak again. There are no group meetings.

5. Education and Training - Full recovery from excessive drinking is a complex process. I have found a mentor/coach with credentials in a mainstream profession and a high level of education and training.

The level of education and training I've found so far is pretty dismal. All the workers have had at least a 3-month course in alcohol and drug counseling, but only one or two have a university degree.

I'm considering a treatment program where the counselors have college degrees with additional training in alcohol and drug counseling. One has a degree in nursing.

I found a treatment program where the counsellors have at least a master's degrees and some professional designation, like nursing or drug and alcohol counseling.

I'm excited, because my mentor/coach has top professional credentials in a mainstream helping profession, plus business training and experience. He is also a recognized expert in the field of alcohol addiction and treatment.

6. Training and Experience with Change Technology - I know I am facing major personal change. Fortunately, I have found a program where my mentor/coach is competent with the most up-to-date change technologies.

I didn't know there was anything beyond the 12-step program when it comes to overcoming a drinking problem.

I called about enrolling in a $30,000 rehab program, but when I asked the intake worker about what change technology they used, he didn't seem to understand what I was asking about.

I have heard of some of the new change technologies such as EFT and TFT, and I am ready to try anything. However, so far I haven't found a rehab program that uses the new technologies.

I'm happy. My mentor/coach is up to date and experienced with the most effective change and peak-performance technologies to date. Furthermore, he is teaching me how to use some of these tools on my own.

7. Professional Experience - Professional experience is even more important than formal training in those helping me to full recovery. I'm lucky I found a program where the professional who works with me has broad experience in the addiction field and concurs with me on my goal of full recovery.

So far, I haven't found any such program. Their experience is limited to 12-step, mostly publicly-funded, group-based, rehab programs, so they start from the position that full recovery is not possible.

I have found a private, high-end, residential rehab program where the counselors' experience is limited to group-based rehab facilities. I found the staff very guarded about the notion of "full recovery."

I have found a career alcohol and drug counselor with experience in various clinics. He has seen enough to acknowledge full recovery might be possible.

I have found a mentor/coach with years of relevant experience as an independent professional working with executives and professionals, and their families, in various contexts.

8. Life Experience - There is no substitute for the school of hard knocks, that is, life experience, when it comes to preparation for leadership. My mentor/coach has the wisdom that can only come from life experience, good and bad, including conquering alcoholism and transforming his life for full recovery.

In the recovery programs I have looked at, I have found very little information about the life experience of their counselors.

I have found 'counselors' who are far too young to be able to teach me anything about how to live my life.

I have found a couple of programs where I could work with a somewhat mature counsellor/coach who personally has fully recovered from alcoholism.

I'm excited that my mentoring/coach has been through enough of the ups and downs of business and life, including overcoming his own alcohol problem, to have gained the kind of wisdom I can really draw on as I leave my drinking problem behind and recreate my life.

AVOID A POTENTIAL DISASTER!